Abandoned
by soramegami
Summary: Spring the year after Tohru learned the extent of Kyo's condition, Kyo challenges Yuki to a fight...and wins. Now Yuki is the cursed Zodiac who wears the bracelet and he is desperate to find some reason to live... KyoxTohru/YukixOC
1. Spring

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**** So the moon is now cheese. Because it's another fanfiction XD. This is yet another Fruits Basket one, except this one I actually love the premise to so it has a much higher chance of survival than any of the others do (that and I have been picking at it, unlike the other, what, 3? I've made). I'm not gonna say too much here because this is just the prologue, but I hope you enjoy it!**_

**_Oh, and I don't own Fruits Basket. Please don't sue me, I'm broke._**

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PROLOGUE: SPRING

It was spring when the cat finally defeated the rat.

The fight began as almost all their previous ones had: the cat angry and boastful, the rat calm and collected. At least, on the outside everything was the same. But over the winter the tide had tuned in ways unforeseen by them both. The rat had watched as slowly the flower of their household had turned away from him. It was entirely unintentional—if she had seen the pain it was causing him she would have stopped instantly and ran to his side. The problem was that she hadn't seen. Her normally uncanny insight had faltered as slowly, but surely, she had fallen in love with the cat.

The fight began as almost all their previous ones had. But it ended in a way that surprised them both.

As the rat lay on the ground looking up into the cat's wide eyes they both felt the changes stirring in the air. The cat had finally defeated the rat and earned his seat as one of the twelve of the zodiac. All of the cat's misfortunes would become the rat's and the rat would be exiled from all things Sohma.

The rat finally had what he'd always wanted and he no longer wanted it. To leave the Sohmas was to leave the flower of their household. And to leave the flower would rip a tear in the rat's soul.

But as he lay there staring up at the cat, he could feel the changes beginning—could see the cat's expression change from one of surprise to one of horror.

It was spring when the cat finally became a member of the Zodiac.

It was spring when the rat became the outcast.

**NEXT: OUTCAST**

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	2. Outcast

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**__** Yay, first chapter! (And Ayn is just a word I made up that means chapter. Any resemblance to any real words is entirely coincidental. First off, yes there is an OC female or two that will look Mary-Sue ish at first glance. I hereby promise you they absolutely, positively, aren't. I have solid, fairly original ideas for why Yuki falls for Yun-chan at first sight and why stuff with my other girl is the way it will be when we get to that. So anyone who wants to spam me with "You made a Mary Sue!" comments clearly didn't read this and will get no reply from me. ^^ Also, yeah, it's the Yun-chan you think it is. Interesting factoid one: my best friend originally picked the name "Yun-chan" because of Fruits Basket and how much she liked Yuki. Interesting factoid two: I'm going to give this Yun-chan a few unique characteristics and backstory things that'll differentiate her from the FAF Yun-chan enough that it'll hopefully be acceptable. There is no Kuri in this, but there is a Kuri counterpart--a character sorta, kinda, not really based on Kuri who's backstory is so completely different she needed another name altogether ^^; I love how no matter what I name my characters spell check hates them, and yet Yuki gets a free pass for no reason even though his name is just as japanese sounding as the rest of them. Why Yuki, why?**_

**_I don't own Fruits Basket._**

**_I also still don't know if the Akito in this is going to be a guy or a girl. Right now I'm leaning towards guy, but if someone can give me a good idea that only works if he's a she, feel free to and I'm willing to give him a sex change._**

**_No, really._**

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AYN ONE: OUTCAST

The pale sun fell flat on Yuki's face as it drifted in through his apartment window. Even though Spring had arrived everywhere else it seemed to have missed the secluded mountain village he now called "home." He lay stiff as a log on his hard bed mattress and remained just as asleep as a log could be. If ever he had wished to be a morning person, now would be the time. For to be asleep was to relive that terrible nightmare over and over…to become that horrible _thing_ over and over…His hand flew instinctively to his wrist, clutching the black and white beads as though his life depended on them remaining in place. He could still hear the echoes of his screaming, twisted by that grotesque form. He understood now why Kyo had been so desperate to get into the cage Yuki had so needed to escape, why Kyo had constantly challenged Yuki to fights he knew he'd lose—

Yuki's thoughts froze as a fresh wave of cold air blew over him. He shivered, pulled himself out of bed, and dragged his thick wool uniform to him from across the floor.

He was awake now.

Time to get ready for school.

o—x—o—x—o

Yuki had been following the same mechanical motions since he'd arrived in the little mountain town a month ago. He choked down breakfast, went to school, fought off the fanclub that'd formed a few days after he'd moved in, got fast food for dinner, numbly ate half of it, threw the other half away, and then fell onto his bed and stared at the ceiling for hours before finally getting a few hours of painful, nauseating sleep before the cycle started all over again. He'd been cut off from everything Sohma except their money—oodles and oodles of it—money he didn't care for or need.

He felt so far from everything he cared about that he'd disconnected himself from anything substantial—including himself. He waded through his days like a person would wade through an endless sea of fog—never stopping for anything, just moving forward to keep the pain from resurfacing.

It was the first day of May when something finally caught his attention.

Normally Yuki didn't wake up until 7:30 and thus didn't get to school until 7:45—15 minutes late. The first of May, however, he woke up at 7:25, arriving at the school at 7:40. It was such a minimal difference that normally nothing at all would've changed. However, while Yuki was only 5 minutes off, his destiny was off by an entire half hour, allowing him to collide with it.

As Yuki arrived on school grounds there were the usual callings of his name—everything from Sohma-san to Yuki-kun to Yuki. But this morning he heard a nickname his friends used to call him and it snapped him out of his daze instantly.

"Yun-chan, hurry!"

Yuki's eyes snapped up from the ground to scan the crowd of late comers, searching for the source of the sound. The voice hadn't sounded like anyone Yuki knew but somehow he sensed it was important that he find its owner. Just as Yuki was beginning to think he'd imagined it, the voice came again.

"_Hurry_ Yun-chan!"

Yuki turned toward the sound to see he wasn't the one being called—it was a girl. And as soon as Yuki saw her he was lost.

She was running toward the school building as fast as she could, bundled up against the cold, her messenger bag swinging wildly beside her. He was too far away to see her clearly, but the mystery only made him all the more anxious to get closer, to drink in the sight of this amazing creature. Her strawberry blonde hair flew behind her as she ran and he ached to run his fingers through its softness, to brush his hand across her cheek…

It was a as though someone had cast a spell on him to fall for the very sight of her and Yuki, after a month of living like a dead man, was too weak to resist.

The spell intensified as he saw from the distance the strap of her bag break, causing it to fall and spill its contents on the ground. She stopped to pick up her things and he was racing toward her as though on fire, electrified at the thought of using such a simple excuse as helping her with her things to get close to her, speak with her, hear her voice and see her face in full detail. He pushed his way through his throng of fans, desperate with longing for the girl with the strawberry blonde hair.

By the time he made his way to where she had been she was gone.

x—o—x—o—x

Yuki was distracted during all of his morning classes and for once it was not for lack of thinking. It was because he couldn't _stop_ thinking—the girl he'd seen that morning never left his mind for longer than the briefest of moments. It was as though seeing her had flipped some switch in his mind and made him alive, his mind reeling with questions. Who was she? Why had he never seen her before? Had the slight time change in his schedule really been that significant? Had he somehow just missed her before, so lost was he in his misery? Yuki doubted it. There was no way he would've looked right past her, not with how he'd reacted this morning. Perhaps if he—

"Sohma-kun, do you have an answer to this question?" His professor asked, jarring Yuki away from thoughts of the mysterious girl.

Normally Yuki never even noticed his professors addressing him and they would grow irritated with his nonresponsive manner and ask a different student. Today Yuki looked straight up at the professor, quite obviously startling the poor man. Probably even more so when Yuki spoke.

"I don't know. I wasn't paying attention."

Everyone in the classroom stared or started muttering under their breath. The professor looked absolutely flabbergasted.

"O-Oh." The poor man stammered, "W-Well then, Maibara-san, do you know the answer?"

Yuki heard a girl's voice answering the professor and whirled toward the sound, suddenly and irrationally thinking it might be the girl from that morning. He was disappointed to find the speaker was some brunette across the classroom and nearly slapped himself for being so idiotic. Of course it wasn't his mystery girl—if she'd been in his class he would've noticed her earlier.

Yuki only knew two things about her: That her nickname was Yun-chan…and that from the minute he'd seen her it was like someone had made him take an illegal drug.

And he was hooked.

o—x—o—x—o

The day passed in a sluggish crawl. Now that he was out of his haze Yuki felt he couldn't get the day to move fast enough so he could get to lunch and search for the mystery girl properly. When the lunch bell finally rang he practically rocketed from his seat, blazing past anyone who dared get in his way—while always subconsciously being mindful of avoiding bumping into any girls. The last thing he needed was that sort of disaster.

The lunchroom was already packed with people and in a sea of faces so thick finding one in particular that Yuki had only glimpsed once would be a true challenge. He depended on his hearing more so in situations like these, but since he didn't know her voice "Yun-chan" would be all the more difficult to find.

Yuki struggled not to bump into anyone as he scanned the crowd for her distinctive hair color—twice he thought he'd seen it and was mistaken.

He grew so increasingly frustrated by the clammer of voices and the massive sheer numbers of students that he just couldn't take anymore and had to slip outside. It was lucky he didn't drop his guard right away or he would've bumped into a dark-haired girl just about to enter.

"Oh, sorry!" she squeaked out, just as startled as he was. She skirted around him and Yuki let out a sigh of relief. He'd almost barreled right into disaster.

A feminine voice giggled and Yuki turned to see a blonde girl at one of the outdoor picnic tables laughing at him. She wasn't the mystery girl, he was sure of that—this girl's hair was too long, bright, and fake looking for him to have even thought of mistaking her for Yun-chan.

"A bit awkward on your feet, aren't you Sohma-kun?" the giggler asked.

Yuki ignored her—she was probably just one of his many fangirls and he was so _not_ in the mood. He was about to walk past her without a second thought when she spoke again.

"I'm not sure _he_ would approve."

Yuki froze and the cold air he'd barely noticed until now suddenly made it difficult for him to breathe. Yuki knew exactly who this girl meant when she said "He."

"Oh, come now, you didn't think he'd send you all the way out here with no one to watch you? Silly, naïve little Yuki." She said cooly, all formalities dropped, "I thought you knew Akito-san better than that."

Every fiber of Yuki's being rebelled against that moment of time, against the name she'd just spoken. He couldn't think about what she'd said because to think was to remember and to remember was to relive the horrible nightmare that had been his life. Yuki was past that, he'd moved on, he had things now, he had…he had…

…Absolutely nothing.

"Well, whatever." The blonde said, her tone flipping to its originally giggly quality, "You can stand out here and freeze if you want—I'm going inside." Her footsteps as she walked past him into the lunchroom confirmed this and Yuki was left alone with his thoughts. He indeed felt frozen and he looked down at his shadow, thinking absently that it wasn't his actual shadow so much as it was the shadow of his past, which had finally caught up with him.

And with so many inner demons to fight off and so many frightening thoughts to wrestle away, Yuki's quest for the mysterious "Yun-chan" slipped away into the recesses of his mind.

x—o—x—o—x

By night time Yuki had almost completely returned to his previous lifeless daze—the only change being his slight awareness to his environment. Instead of throwing his left-over fast food in the trash, he threw them in fridge, which until now had only contained a carton of milk and some oatmeal. When Yuki's phone rang he assumed it was yet another telemarketer and prepared to tell them to go away as he picked up the receiver.

The voice on the other end surprised him by being one he recognized.

"Yuki. It's Hatori."

Of course. Yuki should have realized sooner—Hatori was his doctor, it was only natural he'd want to set up their usual monthly appointment.

"When?" Yuki asked, cutting him to the chase.

"As soon as possible." Hatori answered, following Yuki's train of thought just fine. "I assume you want me to come to you?"

Yuki's mind immediately blocked any thoughts of his return to that house from entering his consciousness.

"Yes." Was all he said to Hatori.

"Very well. Next Tuesday?"

"That's fine." Yuki agreed. Any time was fine—it wasn't like he had anything planned.

"See you then." Hatori said. There was a click and he was gone and Yuki was left alone with the dial tone ringing in his ear. "…Why did he send me here?" Yuki asked the long, drawn out hum. "When can I…" He stopped, feeling his throat tighten around the words. He hung the phone on its hook and walked back to his bed, collapsing face first into his mattress. He lay there, drifting through meaningless thoughts, unwilling to finish the one he'd begun out loud to the empty receiver. He didn't want to finish it because he didn't want to hear the answer.

His question…was "When can I go home?"

His answer…was "Never."

**NEXT: NIGHTMARE**

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	3. Nightmare

_**A/N: Hello again, it's another chapter of Abandoned! Sorry for yet another prolonged absence. It happens. You know, life and stuff. I do not own Fruits Basket, but Maibara, Yunari, and Nakira (whenever the heck you meet that lady) are my characters so please don't use them without my permission. Enjoy!**_

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AYN TWO: NIGHTMARE

Devastated.

The last thing Kyo had ever thought he would feel when he finally defeated Yuki, and the exact thing he felt. He knew how he'd felt all these years—he expected he'd feel happy when he finally claimed his place as one of the Zodiac. But he didn't, and that annoyed him. He didn't understand it and _that_ pissed him off.

"When're you gonna stop wearing that mopey expression? He's gone, get over it." Kyo told Tohru harshly.

"Kyo. Please." Shigure warned tiredly.

"Please what! I'm sick of everyone acting like he crawled off and died! He's fine, okay?"

He's gotta be or I'll beat him up again, Kyo reasoned to himself illogically.

"Kyo…why don't you ever say Sohma-kun's name anymore?" Tohru asked.

Seeing her mournful gaze, he tsked and turned his head to stare out the window. "I dunno. Yuki. There, I said it—you happy now?"

"Kyo, please don't take your anger out on Tohru-kun." Shigure reprimanded the cat.

"Angry? Who the hell's angry!" Kyo demanded, whirling on Shigure.

"You are. Because you miss him."

"I do not _MISS_ that damn rat!" Kyo shouted, storming out the front door and slamming it behind him. He climbed to his spot on the roof and crouched there, scowling.

It made him so mad.

The last thing he'd said to Yuki before Yuki had moved out of Shigure's house was: "I guess now you need this more than I do." That was when Kyo had given Yuki the beaded bracelet. The look on Yuki's face had Kyo mentally kicking himself for saying it like that even now.

And that really…_really_ pissed him off.

"It's not like we were friends or anything." He grumbled to no one.

Over by the side of the house, at the near-top of a ladder Kyo couldn't see, Tohru smiled.

o—x—o—x—o

Yuki awoke to another freezing spring day in the little mountain village…and sat bolt upright in his bed.

The girl! How had he forgotten? His eyes turned frantically to his bedside clock.

May 2nd, 7:25 am.

He needed to get out of bed NOW.

For the first time in a very long time—possibly ever, Yuki wasn't known to be a morning person to begin with—he rushed out of bed and got ready as fast as he was able. He was pumped full of adrenaline and between lack of sleep, excitement, and the cold mountain air it was very likely he would pass out later.

Yuki figured he'd worry about that when he got to that point, and not any sooner.

He arrived at the school at the exact same time he had the previous day—7:40—and scanned the crowd for the strawberry blonde haired girl named "Yun-chan." While he searched he knew in some corner of his mind that his desire to find this girl was not only irrational—it was completely unlike him. He would never move past Tohru that quickly—onr would he fall so fast and so hard for a girl he'd never met. In that corner of his mind Yuki knew that some force outside himself was pushing him towards this girl—making him feel this way about her. But since only this small corner of his mind was unaffected by the unknown force, Yuki had no will to resist the force's demands.

He _needed_ to find this "Yun-chan."

And she was nowhere to be found.

x—o—x—o—x

This morning Yuki was almost as absorbed in his thoughts of the girl who'd stolen his nickname as he had been the previous morning. The difference today was that he was more aware of his surroundings—today he actually paid enough attention to his professors to realize what they were teaching. The only teacher he managed not to flabbergast with his newfound awareness was the teacher he'd already shocked the previous morning—the history teacher who was his very first teacher of the day. He was an older, balding professor—"Professor Shinjuya," Yuki heard his classmates call the teacher. Now that Yuki was actually half paying attention he noticed Professor Shinjuya was actually quite funny—he went to the farthest lengths to make sure his students actually understood what he was talking about.

Now that he was half paying attention, Yuki kind of liked this "Professor Shinjuya."

"And what, may I ask of the class, do you think the general did then?" Professor Shinjuya was lecturing, "Anyone? Alright, fine, I'll tell you: he surrendered."

"He gave up!" one of the male students blurted out in true disbelief.

"That's right. You see, even though General Kendo was a brutal, merciless fiend he knew when he was beaten. He figured it was better to cut his losses on the battle field and then hit the enemy where it would really hurt—inside the city." The bell rang just as Professor Shinjuya was finishing this explanation. "Alright everyone, be sure to study this chapter, we have a quiz tomorrow!" he shouted over the clammer of talking students. He had just finished gathering all his things into dishelved piles when the next professor—a lady—walked in. He nodded to her and hurried out the door.

Yuki quickly tuned out the lady English teacher when he realized she was teaching the same thing he'd learned last year. Her soft, monotone voice was easy to ignore and it gave him time to ponder his plan of attack for finding "Yun-chan." There were two cafeterias, he'd discovered by reading a map on the wall near his seat—he'd check the one he hadn't yesterday as soon as the bell dismissed them all for lunch.

That would also put plenty of distance between him and the fake blonde he'd met yesterday.

Satisfied with this plan, Yuki memorized the route to the second cafeteria from his room 2-F off a school map on the classroom wall.

He'd been so unaware of his surroundings before his abrupt wake-up call that he hadn't even known his classroom number. Although, since he'd known where the classroom was in relation to the rest of the building it hadn't really mattered and still didn't. It was just another piece of mostly pointless data to store away for later—just as the fact that there were two cafeterias was. That bit of information had already been redeemed, though, so for all he knew his classroom number might be equally helpful later.

After the useless English teacher came an equally useless Math teacher—Yuki had learned these equations _two_ years ago. No wonder he hadn't failed anything yet—he already knew most of the material being taught. The math teacher was at the very least mildly entertaining—she practically leaped around the classroom attempting to get her students as excited about math as she was.

Still, since Yuki already knew all of what she was teaching, he ignored her and instead daydreamed of his encounter with the mysterious "Yun-chan."

What would she look like, up close? How would she speak and act? What sort of conversations would they have? What sort of friends would she have?

And then his daydreams turned darker.

What if she turned out to be just another fangirl? What if she was the type of girl who grates on your nerves? What if she hated him from first sight?

What if she found out his secret?

How many people, really, would react the way Tohru did?

Tohru…why is it this girl taking over your space in my mind?

I don't even know her! I don't even know this "Yun-chan!"

Yuki wrestled with himself mentally for a few moments, but it was no use. He couldn't fight the need he had to meet this girl. Someone or something wanted him to meet this girl _very_ badly.

Oh he would meet her, alright.

And when he did he would find out exactly what it was she had done to him.

o—x—o—x—o

The lunch bell this day had Yuki racing to the second cafeteria in a far different mood than the previous day. If his original desire to find this girl didn't make him kiss her the moment he found her he would sling his hands around her neck. He was consumed by emotions he could neither understand or control, and underneath his passionate desperation Yuki was terrified.

But no time for that now—where was the girl?

Yuki's eyes swept the cafeteria with the expertise of a scavenger, his inner rat doing the hunting for him.

To the left. A little more. That's it. Watch out for that girl. Good. Now, left. And turn around.

And there she was.

Strawberry-blonde shoulder length hair that poofed out away from the girl's face so that it circled her slightly round cheeks. Hazel eyes that were more green than brown and more blue than green—soft and fuzzy, as though their color was merely a reflection on a surface of water. Her outfit was unimportant—it was the same uniform every other girl at this school wore, although it was important to note that she had chosen not to hike her skirt up—it showed she was modest. A modest, foggy-eyed, strawberry blonde. That was Yuki's first impression of "Yun-chan."

In other words, she was just as much a mystery as she had been mere moments before.

Yuki would fix that shortly.

"Hi." He managed to say to her. The sound of his voice was sharper than half of him intended.

Ah, so he'd be strangling her first.

Maybe kissing her later.

Maybe.

"Hi…?" she said in return. Her voice was neutral enough. Slightly deeper and less musical than he'd expected, but pleasant all the same. Her face wore a clueless _"Who is this guy and why is he talking to me?"_ look.

Oh, how it reminded him of Tohru.

"Do you um, need something?" she asked, her voice slightly harsher than before. Apparently she was getting annoyed with his seemingly pointless intrusion. The edge on both Yuki's passion and his anger seemed to be dulling. Why was he talking to this girl again? Some vague obsession. It was so stupid and unlike him that Yuki had half a mind to turn and walk out of the cafeteria then and there.

But there was one thing he had to know first, one little thing that he had to be sure of.

One little thing that would make all the difference in the world.

"Is your name Yun-chan?"

More confusion on the girl's face. "Yeah…."

Then Yuki turned and left.

And for all his powers of observation Yuki completely missed the fact that the girl sitting across from Yun-chan was in his class.

x—o—x—o—x

That night as he lay in his bed Yuki's mind felt clearer than it had been in a long time. The constant nagging desire to find Yun-chan was gone—he knew where to look now. Also, the sudden anger that had flared up inside him early that day was gone. It was unfair to be so blatantly angry at the obviously oblivious girl he'd met today. But Yuki knew exactly where that anger had come from—he hated the idea of someone controlling his thoughts, his emotions.

He tossed and turned, waiting for the nightmare to come.

Those long, twisted arms and legs, the stretched head with its slug-like horns, the bulging red eyes, and the stench—the stench of death that has been left out in the sunlight to fester and decay.

Why, over and over in his dreams, did Yuki have to see Kyo turn into that _thing_? And why, over and over, did Yuki have to turn into it next? And why did Kyo, whole and human, have to stand over him and repeat his last words like a broken record no one would fix?

"I guess now you need this more than I do."

"…Need this more than I do."

"…more than I do."

"…You need this more than I do."

But though Yuki was thinking about the nightmare, it didn't come. And when Yuki finally drifted off to sleep, exhausted beyond his limits, the nightmare still had not come. For the first night since the cat had beaten the rat, the nightmare did not come at all.

Just a quiet, dreamless sleep…free of monstrous creatures and haunting words.

Free of screaming.

NEXT: INTERLUDE, BIRTHDAY CAKE, A MOMIJI TALE

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	4. Interlude:  The Birthday Cake

_**A/N: Just a small break from all the heavy drama. :) Don't own Fruits Basket.**_

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INTERLUDE: THE BIRTHDAY CAKE

A MOMIJI TALE

May 3rd

6:00 am: Momiji here! Today is 'Tori's birthday, so I'm going to bake him a cake! Yay!

6:30 am: Got to the store with no time to spare! Haru-kun saw me on the way in—oh no! Shh, keep it a secret Haru-kun!

6:45 am: Um, where do they keep the eggs again?

7:00 am: Uh-oh…I think Momiji is lost in the store.

7:15 am: Waa—aah!

7:20am: Yay for the nice store lady! She's going to help Momiji find all the things to make a cake!

7:40am: Eggs, milk, cake mix…don't forget frosting! Oh, and candles! Um…how old is Hatori-san turning again?

7:50am: Mmm…Vanilla.

7:51am: How many candles…? Hrmm…I'll just buy a whole bunch! If there's extra I can use them on another birthday cake later, yep yep!

8:10am: Yay checkout! The bag lady's nice too!

8:30am: Thank you nice store employees! Momiji will make the best cake possible thanks to your help!

9:00am: Yay home! Time to bake that cake!

9:05am: The oven has to get _how_ hot? Geez, that's hot! But Momiji can handle it—it _has_ to be a surprise!

9:06am: I wonder why I'm talking about myself in third person? Hmm…

9:10am: Mix, mix, mix, mix…oops.

9:11am: This floor is slippery! Wo—oah!

9:11:02am: Oomph!

9:11:03am: …Ow.

9:23am: Yay—batter's done! Now in the oven with you, you slippery cake!

9:24am: The foil comes off, right?

9:25am: This has to cook _HOW_ long!

9:30am: …This is going to take _forever_!

9:31am: Zzz…

12:00 noon: Mmm…yawn…that was a nice nap. Let's see how the cake is doing!

12:01 pm: Um…well it's…done…I could've sworn I bought vanilla. Oh well.

12:10 pm: La la la, icing is fun! Squirt, squirt, sploosh! Squirt, squirt, sploosh! Squirt, squirt…oops! The wall doesn't need decorating!

12:20pm: Now, let's see here…how many candles? …40 should cover it!

2:45pm: …And then a few hours later Hari came into my house! Oh no—he spoiled the surprise! I hadn't even lit the candles yet!

Hatori: "Momiji…What's all this?"

Momiji: "Oh, well, since you ruined the surprise…Happy birthday Hatori-san!"

Hatori: "While a nice gesture, my birthday's still months away Momiji."

Momiji: "…Oh."

END 'o'

NEXT: RAT

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	5. Rat

_**A/N:**** Look, but your eyes do not decieve you, it is another chapter! I've spent most of the afternoon typing a section of this, then a section of FAF, a section of this, a section of FAF. I hope to get at least the next chapter of both up and then some. Wish me luck?**_

**_I don't own Fruits Basket, but my characters are mine (you know who they are.) I also want to emphasize again that my girls aren't Mary Sues-there are reasons for why all this nonsense with Yuki obssessing over Yun-chan occurs and why Maibara is so Maibara-y and you'll know them by chapter 6 (I should know, I wrote it.)_**

**_Also, kind of funny: the story of how Mai met Yun-chan is quite similar to my own, however the bag was a Fruits Basket one. Can't exactly bring that anime into the story or things would explode lol. So for all intensive purposes the anime and manga Fruits Basket does not exist within the realm of this story because it...is...Fruits Basket. So confusing XD._**

**_Without further ado,_**

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AYN THREE: RAT

The morning came slower than it had the entire time Yuki'd lived in the quiet mountain town. The sunlight literally crawled in the window, creating a race between it and the snail that had somehow found its way onto Yuki's bedroom floor. The ray of sun and the slug with a shell on its back inched their way toward Yuki's bed at exactly the same rate. The snail won, of course—it had gotten a head start. The pale, heatless wintry sun cast itself over Yuki's sleeping form—the same wintry sun that, here, shone year-round.

Yuki cracked open one eyelid to peek at his bedside clock.

May 3rd, 3:00pm.

Good thing he hadn't slept in like that on a school day. Not that it would've mattered to him, but with how little he paid attention in class, coming to school late might've gotten him expelled.

And that was the last thing Yuki needed—especially since he never knew what to do with himself on the weekends.

Although…3pm? When was the last time he'd slept in this long?

Yuki couldn't remember, though surely it had been before the nightmares.

Yuki was about to close his eye and go back to sleep when he spotted his calendar and the day.

May 3rd, Thursday.

Thursday?

Thursday!

Today _was_ a school day! How could he have been so stupid? He'd missed…hell, he'd slept through everything.

Great. Just great. Too late to take it back now.

And so Yuki set his alarm for 7:30.

And went back to sleep.

o—x—o—x—o

The fans were more active on Friday, considering Yuki had been missing with no warning the previous day. So on top of being irritated at his alarm for waking him up in such a rudely loud fashion, he was annoyed at the fangirls for making it so difficult to move through the hallways without bumping into any of them.

When Yuki flopped into his desk in classroom 2-F he'd had enough. So when yet _another girl_ approached his seat he immediately snapped at her.

"What do you people _want_ from me!"

She backed away a little, clearly startled. "Huh? I just…n-nevermind." She said, hurrying away to sit at her desk on the other side of the classroom.

Yuki was pleased she'd given up so easily—the teacher, however, was not so happy.

"Sohma-kun! I will not have that kind of disrespect in my classroom. Apologize to Maibara-san and listen to what she has to say to you." Professor Shinjuya demanded.

Yuki's opinion of the history professor lowered a bit, but he made his way across the room to the girl's desk and apologized as ordered.

"Sorry. What did you want to say?"

She waited until Professor Shinjuya had turned to the blackboard to speak.

"Just um… thank you for walking away yesterday."

Yuki's anger dissipated—this girl was clearly not a fangirl and she was talking about…Yun-chan?

"You mean from Yun-chan?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. I…I could tell you were angry and I was worried so…thank you."

"Oh. Your welcome." Yuki said, unsure of what else he could say. Here was the perfect opportunity to learn more about Yun-chan…and he didn't know what to ask. The awkward silence stretched between them until just before the bell when Yuki wound up blurting, "How do you know her?"

"She's my best friend." The girl said.

And as if on cue the bell rang, cutting off any further questions.

"Alright class, to your seats!" Professor Shinjuya said, and Yuki had no choice but to move far from the girl who'd said she was Yun-chan's best friend.

What had Professor Shinjuya called her? Naibala? No, Maibara, that was it. Maibara-san. Yuki could see her taking rapid notes on Professor Shinjuya's lecture.

Well, Yuki was going to take some notes of his own. He was going to find out everything he could about Yun-chan.

And he was going to do it through Maibara-san.

x—o—x—o

It took until the 3rd class that day for Yuki to figure out how he was going to talk to Maibara-san without seeming suspicious. But once 3rd period had started it didn't take long at all to see Maibara-san was clearly struggling.

And so, when the lunch bell rang as he moved over to stand by her desk again.

"Hey." He greeted her.

She glanced up from packing her things. "Oh…hey."

"I noticed you're having a bit of trouble." Kind of the understatement of the year since she had been wringing her forehead in frustration only moments ago.

"Oh…yeah. I'm not so good with math." She laughed nervously.

"I could tutor you if you want."

Her face just about lit up at the idea. "Really! That would be a huge help! Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Of course not. I took this course two years ago so it's not that hard for me."

"Wow cool. Thank you so much…when's good for you?" she asked, pulling out a pencil and a mini calendar.

It was a bit weird that she had to be _that _organized, but Yuki had no grounds to complain—she was going to be his ticket to solving the mysteries of Yun-chan.

"Any day after school should be fine. We could even start today if you want."

She made a face that told Yuki quite plainly that she didn't like that idea, "I can't tonight, but we can start tomorrow if that's okay."

"That's fine."

"Awesome! Thanks a lot." She was almost beaming as she finished packing her things and headed for the door. She paused a moment to look back at him and Yuki wondered what she'd stopped for.

"…Yuki-kun, right?" she asked finally, her face a bit more serious.

Yuki was a bit surprised she knew his first name, but he nodded.

She smiled a little, but it didn't quite match her previous exuberance. "See you later then Yuki-kun." She said, and left.

Yuki stood in the classroom a moment longer, still wondering how she knew his name…and when the answer came to him he almost hit himself.

Duh—the fanclub.

o—x—o—x—o

The wait until Saturday afternoon was pure _agony._ Although Yuki had no more nightmares and the fanclub reduced to its usual mania he felt as though time had slowed to match the pace of the snail that had been racing the sun in his room Thursday morning. When the bell finally rang to signal the end of the last class on Saturday evening Yuki had to struggle to keep from leaping out of his seat. The long wait had only allowed him to form twice as many questions about the mystery surrounding Yun-chan. He'd already gone over all the ones he couldn't ask in his mind and then figured out precisely how to phrase all the questions he could ask. He'd even figured out how many questions would be safe to ask each day without seeming overly curious. Although the need to find and see Yun-chan had ebbed, Yuki was still just as obsessed as before.

Possibly even more.

"So…how do you want to do this?" Maibara-san came over to ask him.

Oh right—he was supposed to be teaching her math.

"Right here will be fine." Yuki told her.

"Oh…okay." Maibara-san brought her stuff and a desk over next to Yuki's spot. "You're sure it's okay with the professors?"

"Quite certain." Yuki reassured her, giving her what he hoped was a comforting smile. Both the smile and the promise were fake, but Yuki figured he could deal with the problem when—if—it arose. To keep up a semblance of looking like he knew what he was doing Yuki asked, "So what are you having the most trouble with?"

"Oh…uh…" Maibara-san made a face like what she really want to say was 'everything,' when instead she said, "Proofs."

Yuki remembered disliking proofs when he'd first learned them too—and he _liked_ math. "Those are difficult. Could I see your notes—maybe I could make a few examples for you to try."

"Oh, okay." Maibara-san started rummaging around in her bag.

Yuki was so pleased with his "classmate tutorial" guise thus far that he decided to chance a question.

"So how did you meet Yun-chan?" he asked. He figured the basics were the best place to start.

"About a year ago some friends of mine introduced me to her. I started asking her about her anime bag and we've been inseparable ever since." Maibara-san laughed a little.

"What anime was it?" Yuki asked. He honestly had no interest in television but knowing Yun-chan's tastes would allow him to get a small glimpse into her character.

Maibara-san appeared to think. "Saiyuki, I think." She said finally. "Here it is! The section on proofs. Maibara-san produced a notebook full of math equations and hastily scribbled side notes. It was no wonder she was so confused—her notes were a mess. Yuki took a few long cursory glances at them and then whipped out a pencil and paper from his bag. He jotted down four simple proofs—two on either side of the paper with plenty of space underneath each one for work. He pushed the paper and pencil across his desk and onto hers.

"Show me how you normally solve them with this first one." He instructed.

"Oh…okay."

It didn't take long for Yuki to spot Maibara-san's problem: she had the right ideas in mind, but then she'd take such a long, roundabout route that she'd wind up making a bunch of mistakes and get the answer wrong. It took her 20 steps to do what Yuki could do in 10.

This was going to be a _long_ afternoon.

x—o—x—o

For the first time in all his time living in this little mountain town Yuki was glad to be back in his apartment. He could see math equations everywhere he looked and his struggle to help Maibara-san fix her method of solving them had given him such a headache he'd forgotten to ask her more questions about Yun-chan.

He fell face-first onto his bed, exhausted. Frustrated.

Annoyed.

So much for Maibara-san being his ticket to Yun-chan. It was pointless to continue their study sessions. He'd just have to tell her he couldn't help her anymore and go straight to the source: Yun-chan herself.

As Yuki lay there on his bed some part of his subconscious dug out an image of the girl with the fake blonde hair he'd met on his first search for Yun-chan. The one who'd mentioned…his former life. Where had she disappeared to, anyway? Oh well, it didn't matter. Yuki dismissed her as easily as he planned to dismiss Maibara-san the next morning. Yuki fell asleep thinking of the different things he'd say to Yun-chan when he saw her again.

What Yuki didn't think of was that the things he was so willing to dismiss might not be so keen on the idea of being brushed off.

Not so keen at all.

o—x—o—x—o

Nakira Sumata, also known as "the fake blonde haired girl," had been keeping close tabs on Yuki through the most reliable spy-service ever created: the Yuki Fanclub. Not only was it free, but installing herself as a member of the fanclub gave her access to all sorts of information about Yuki—even things she didn't want to know, such as how many times he went to the bathroom each week or what his favored cafeteria meal was. And being the actress she was Nakira could quite easily fit in with the throngs of Yuki-crazies—it was reasons like this that Akito had chosen her specifically to keep an eye on Yuki.

That and the fact that Akito trusted her to make Yuki as miserable as Akito himself would.

It was a member of the fanclub who actually gave her the perfect idea for how to do just that.

"Did you see the way he was talking to that _Maibara_ girl yesterday? It was disgusting." One member said.

"I know!" another one chimed in, "I even heard he went over to her table the other day!"

Fools, Nakira thought, he was there to see Yunari, not Maibara. She was about to dismiss the whole conversation as usual fangirl gossip when a third fangirl's comment caught her interest.

"I heard he stayed in the classroom with her Saturday after school. It's just not right."

"Nuh-uh!" Nakira falsely protested while wondering what Yuki was staying after with Maibara for.

"Yep. I wasn't there, but quite a few people in his class confirmed it."

While the other members clamored on about this until the warning bell rang that Monday morning, Nakira fell silent.

So, Yuki was meeting with Maibara after school, eh? Well, that figures—she's Yunari's best friend. He probably figures he can get to know Maibara and then Yunari through her. Nakira smiled at this thought.

How simple it would be to wreck the only friendship Yuki had managed to form.

x—o—x—o

It was a simple matter for Nakira to get out of her last class early—having a doctor on speed dial to confirm random appointments was quite handy. She made her way to 2-F and waited patiently for Yuki and Maibara to be the last ones left in the room.

As soon as they were Yuki gathered his stuff and marched over to Maibara's desk.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I can tutor you anymore." Yuki said to Maibara.

"What? Wh-Why?" Maibara stammered, looking surprised and a little hurt.

"I just can't. You'll have to figure something else out—I just don't have any time to waste."

Nakira could almost hear the implied "on you" at the end of Yuki's statement. As though he was saying _Maibara_ was a waste of his time.

So all he'd wanted to do was milk Maibara for information. She was a tool to him, nothing more—he wasn't even interested in getting to know her or befriend her, as Nakira had thought he would.

Fine. That was just fine. Nakira would ruin him just as planned. She'd push him into Maibara and Yuki's secret would be out. Maibara was only human—she'd scream or she'd tell someone. Yuki would have to move somewhere even more remote and leave everything behind again. She rushed Yuki as he was coming out the door to 2-F. Maibara was in the perfect spot—Yuki crashed right into her, and she fell to the floor. Nakira rushed from the room before Maibara could see her face, but not without making sure Yuki had. Nakira wanted him to know _exactly_ who had messed things up for him.

If Maibara was just a tool for Yuki to use and throw away—just a useless piece of equipment without any use, then Nakira knew exactly what Yuki was to her—exactly what Yuki had proved to Nakira that he deserved to be. Yuki was a rat.

And now everyone would know it.

o—x—o—x—o

It was all over.

He was exposed.

As Yuki's clothes billowed down over him both Maibara-san and the fake-haired blonde disappeared from view. Yuki figured the blonde was gone, but that didn't matter. What mattered was where Maibara-san was. Because if it had been Maibara-san who was gone Yuki would be safe. But she wasn't gone.

In fact, Yuki was sitting on her.

"Y-Yuki-kun…you….okay?" she asked, lifting up Yuki's shirt to reveal the small gray furry thing sitting on her stomach.

"Fine." Yuki grumbled, turning his head so one eye was aimed in Maibara-san's direction. He saw better from the side than he did when he was looking down his fuzzy nose at people. And yet no matter which way he looked at her, Maibara-san was taking this amazingly well.

Sometimes that happened—reality didn't set in until later. Then came the screaming.

"Are you…hurt at all?" She asked.

"No." He said. Then, as an after-thought he added, "Are you?"

She smiled. "No, but I'll probably be sore tomorrow."

Yuki nodded. It was only a matter of time until she started freaking out. Her eyes were already a little wide.

So suddenly she startled Yuki, Maibara-san sat up and started stuffing Yuki's clothes and shoes into his bag. She had scooped him up when she'd risen and she tucked him in one of his shoes in the bag.

"Stay in there and stay quiet, okay?" she asked with such a panicked face that Yuki couldn't question her. She closed the bag's flap over him, enveloping him in a darkness far less real than the kind that covered his thoughts.

Now Yuki heard them—footsteps. How had Maibara-san thought to hide him in her condition? She hadn't gone into shock yet? Yuki thought, and then: Fat load of good hiding him would do if he transformed back.

Through the bag's thick fabric Yuki heard muffled voices.

First a girl's voice, not Maibara-san: "Oh _Maibara_, fancy meeting you here. Where's Sohma-kun?"

Then Maibara-san: "Oh um…he…uh…went to the bathroom."

Now another girl's voice: "Aww, so he left you here alone, huh? Too bad—for you, that is."

This was not sounding good for Maibara-san. Yuki cringed when he heard the sound of a blow followed by the first girl's voice saying, "Who decided you could have Sohma-kun to yourself, huh!" Yuki listened helplessly, cringing each time he heard one of the two girls hit Maibara-san—he could tell she never hit them because they never stopped laughing or taunting her.

Why wouldn't Maibara-san fight back?

Yuki heard a spitting noise. "Keep away from him if you know what's good for you." More footsteps. Yuki guessed the two girls were gone. Maibara-san quickly confirmed this.

"They're gone now Yuki-kun. I'm…I'm going to take you home now." Yuki felt himself being lifted up inside the bag. "Just give me the directions when I say we're outside, okay?"

The slow swing of Yuki's bag as he sat snug in his shoe could have very easily lulled him to sleep under different circumstances, but as it was he stayed wide awake and poked his head out of his bag as soon as Maibara-san gave him the okay.

Surveying the damage Yuki could tell she was going to be very sore tomorrow indeed.

"Which way?" She asked.

"Left, then straight a long way." Yuki replied. She nodded and started walking.

It wasn't long before Yuki had to ask: "Why didn't you fight back?"

Yuki suspected Maibara-san would've shrugged if she hadn't been carrying a school bag on each shoulder. "No point. They'd just come back with more people next time."

"Next time? There won't be a next time. I'm not tutoring you anymore, remember?"

She just nodded.

Yuki was silent the rest of the way to his apartment besides when he was giving directions. He was also trying hard not to think—he didn't want to get used to Maibara-san acting like this. It wasn't going to last.

Maibara-san took Yuki all the way _into_ his apartment, as if taking into account the fact that rats can't open doors. She put his bag on the floor with him still in it and turned to leave.

Just as she had the first afternoon they'd talked in the classroom, Maibara-san paused in the doorway and looked back at him.

"You needed to stay hidden, right?" she asked.

Yuki nodded slowly.

"That's why I didn't fight back."

Yuki nodded again, robotically this time.

"See you later then Yuki-kun." She said. She left and closed the door behind her.

Yuki sat on his apartment floor staring at the closed door. It was slowly dawning on him that not only was Maibara-san unfazed by Yuki's transformation, she was being a true friend to someone she barely knew. Someone who'd just wanted to use her to get information.

It was quite often Yuki hated being a rat.

It wasn't often that he felt like one.

NEXT: TOHRU

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	6. Tohru

_**A/N:**** Short chapter, but a fun one I think. It was Thursday, um, an hour ago. I wanted to update FAF too and I'm still typing but dude...FAF's chapters are long and I feel like I'm gonna pass out XD.**_

**_Don't own Fruits Basket, do own my characters, they are not Mary Sues, they have reasons for what they're doing, yadda yadda yadda, at this point do I still need all this disclaimer nonsense? Does anyone even read it anyway?_**

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AYN FOUR: TOHRU

_"This world is dying."_

_That is what was said a very, very long time ago by those well-versed in the condition of all things. _

_"Then…something must be done." Or so it was decided._

_"A balance…something must create a balance for this world. Two sides of one thing to create harmony."_

_"But how shall we create such a harmony?" asked the people of their wise seer._

_"We must have two things to balance…and then we must create a system to keep those two things in place."_

_"What about the sun and the moon?" One man asked._

_"Close, but not quite. These forces must be powerful enough to withstand the weight of the world. The sun and the moon rest in the sky—they have no way to carry the earth from above." Said the seer._

_Another man came up with their answer. "Then, why not God?"_

_"Why not God and his Devil?"_

x—o—x—o—x

Sunday. That meant the weekend, which meant no school. As much as Yuki disliked school it was still something to do. He never knew what to do with himself on weekends.

That was especially true of _this_ weekend.

It had taken Yuki a very long time to transform back the previous night after Maibara-san had left and even longer to fall asleep. He knew what her finding out his secret meant. He didn't even need to call the main house to ask Hatori to come—the dragon of the zodiac already had an appointment scheduled with Yuki that upcoming Tuesday. Yuki could tell Hatori all about the incident with Maibara-san then. Anybody Maibara-san told in the interim could be dealt with just as easily—Hatori was good at covering up the zodiac members' mistakes. Yuki didn't expect any sort of miracle from Maibara-san. His amazement at her reaction had faded from the previous night so he no longer had any reservations on thinking she might betray him. And yet, Yuki reminded himself, she'd hidden him, taken blows for him, and brought him home. None of those characteristics were typical of an _un-_trustworthy person. But what was the point of trusting her? She wouldn't remember anything after Tuesday. There was no way the one pulling the strings would allow Yuki a friend—this place was supposed to be his punishment, after all. And even if she did turn out to be trustworthy, who was to say Maibara-san would be able to handle Yuki's secret and then accept it?

Truly, there could never be another Tohru.

o—x—o—x—o

Sunday went by quickly when Yuki realized he could just sleep through it. He had forgotten, however, about Monday. He couldn't just sleep through another school day, not with how bad his attendance was already. Despite the Sohma family's influence on the school board, Yuki could only get so many free passes. And if he couldn't go to school anymore it was quite likely Yuki would sleep himself into a coma.

He wasn't at all sure what he was going to say to Maibara-san.

Did it matter? She'd just forget it anyway.

Why didn't any of this ever occur to him when he'd been daydreaming about Yun-chan? That he had curse that kept him from being close to people and that she would never be able to accept that since she was just a normal girl?

Only so many Tohrus—only one in the whole world as far as Yuki knew.

He arrived to school late enough to be exactly on time: with the bell ringing right as he walked through the door. That left no time for Maibara-san to ask awkward questions before class started.

And plenty of reason for Professor Shinjuya to be more irritated with him than usual. "Sohma-kun, how good of you to join us." The history professor mocked, "Perhaps next time you'll think about joining us a little less promptly, hmm? Now, who can answer this question?"

Yuki sat in his seat and tuned out Professor Shinjuya's lecture—he once again was not in the mood, despite the fact that Professor Shinjuya was pretty much the only teacher Yuki had that he liked. Yuki, however, had more pressing things on his mind than ancient war heroes.

How to avoid Maibara-san.

How to learn more about Yun-chan without using other people to do so.

How to not avoid Yun-chan while avoiding Maibara-san.

Impossible. They were best friends—what was Yuki going to do, separate them?

And why, exactly did Yuki care about getting to know Yun-chan so much? Nothing like this had ever happened to him before—and it was really grinding on his nerves. So was this Maibara-san situation.

Yuki couldn't take it anymore—he had to look over at her seat and see her expression and if he could read it.

…Oh yes, he could read it alright. There wasn't one.

She wasn't there.

So, she wasn't as unfazed as she led him to believe. Yuki wasn't sure how he felt about being right. Some stupid part of him had still been clinging to how unfazed and considerate she'd been. Her's was certainly the most abnormal reaction he'd ever seen. Usually there was a lot more yelling involved—even Tohru had done that.

Stop it. This is not helping—think about something else.

That girl with the awful dye job. The one sent to keep tabs on him. Why did she reveal Yuki's secret to Maibara-san? Because he decided to tutor her? What if the same thing happens the next time he tried to approach Yun-chan? What if that girl was sent to make _sure_ Yuki couldn't interact with _anyone_? Hmph, it sure would be nice if Hatori could erase _her_ memory. Along with Maibara-san's.

No more Tohrus.

Stop that.

x—o—x—o—x

By lunchtime Yuki had reached a critical mass. He needed to do something about all these insane thoughts bouncing around in and rattling his skull. Luckily his emotions weren't in quite the same amount of turmoil as they'd been the last time he'd confronted Yun-chan at her lunch table.

At least, they hadn't been. As soon as he saw her he felt as though someone had punched him in the gut, taking his breath away and leaving him completely unsure of how to even function, let alone speak.

The part that bugged Yuki most? This time felt like the worst.

"Yun-chan?" he asked through clenched teeth. He couldn't even remember getting tense, but he was—every muscle in Yuki's body was curling in upon itself, he felt like biting into his tongue until it bled. He felt like biting Yun-chan's head off.

She looked up at him and then sighed. She recognized him! Yuki was elated, he felt like leaping into her arms—

—What was _wrong_ with him?

"I'm not in the mood today, okay?" Yun-chan told him. She did sound a bit down.

"Are you alright?" Yuki asked, unsure whether his tone conveyed either his concern or his murderous intentions.

He found himself inching closer.

Mistake.

Her scent was overpowering—Yuki almost fell to his knees in surprise. How had he not noticed that _scent_? That overwhelming, alluring smell of…sewers? That couldn't be right. Whatever it was, Yuki wanted…Yuki wanted…

Things that were entirely inappropriate to act out in a high school cafeteria.

That was it, Yuki couldn't take it anymore—he had to kill this girl or he was going to go _insane._

He already was insane.

Just snap her neck and—

"I'm fine, just…are _you_?" Yun-chan asked, clearly noticing Yuki's fingers twitching.

"I…" Yuki began, but his throat had become really dry—he couldn't talk, he couldn't think, he really wanted to, really needed to…

Kiss her.

Kill her.

Kiss her.

Both?

And just as Yuki's head was about to split in two, just as Yuki was about to scream and do as many irreversible things as he could to this infuriating girl, just then…somebody shouted his name.

"Yuki-kun!"

Out of habit or some inner reflex Yuki's body turned toward the voice, allowing him to see none other than Maibara-san racing across the cafeteria towards him, her face flushed and her breathing panicked.

"Mai!" Yun-chan called in surprise, standing up as her best friend reached the table Yuki was standing next to and rushing to Maibara-san's side.

For obvious reasons—Maibara-san was bent over so far she almost touched the floor with her head.

"Are you—"she began, but she was wheezing so bad she couldn't finish.

"Mai! Are you okay?" Yun-chan asked, laying a hand on each of Maibara-san's shoulders to support her. Suddenly it occurred to Yuki that Yun-chan was standing right next to him. He hadn't really noticed.

Wait—hadn't noticed? Like, as in hadn't cared? _Didn't _care?

How, why, and _what the hell?_

Yuki managed to have the presence of mind to both pinch himself and make sure he was still wearing the beaded bracelet.

Nope, not dreaming. Yep, still there.

What the hell?

Maibara-san, finally having recovered enough to speak, decided to try again, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, are _you?_" Yun-chan asked. Maibara-san wordlessly pointed to Yuki—she was still panting. "You were asking _him_ that?" Yun-chan's incredulous tone clearly said, "No, he's not okay—he's _psycho._"

Yuki just nodded. Why was Maibara-san asking if _he_ was okay after not showing up in class all morning, then running in at lunch like something was on fire?

"Good," Maibara-san panted, "That thing…yesterday—" Yuki tensed up, expecting her to say something that might give him away—intentional or nor, about his curse or his weird obsession with Yun-chan. "I'm allergic," Maibara-san continued, "Thought maybe…you too…had a…weird dream—"

"Ohhhh Mai, not again!" Yun groaned. "Go home."

"But…Yun—"

"No, uh-uh. I see how red your face is. Go home—_walk _home." Yun-chan ordered firmly, then directed at Yuki: "Thanks a lot for whatever animal you let her pet jerk, she's allergic."

Allergic? _That's_ why she was missing this morning?

"In fact you should walk her home, this is your fault." Yun grumbled.

"That…help." Maibara huffed, shooting Yuki a "Can we talk?" look while adding aloud, "Please?"

"Oh heck no, _I'll_ walk you home dummy, I always do." Yun-chan interjected, turning Maibara-san toward the exit and pushing her along. Maibara-san managed to mouth "Later" to Yuki before she disappeared out the door.

Now he was really confused. And after all those conflicting emotions he felt really tired. So he sat down.

And noticed quite a few more eyes than usual watching him.

o—x—o—x—o

The rest of Yuki's school day involved a lot of ignoring people. Teachers, gossiping classmates, fan clubbers, guidance counselors…

One thing Yuki couldn't ignore anymore: the way he acted around Yun-chan. It was completely unpredictable when the bizarre urges he got came or went and the closer he was to her, the worse it got…sometimes. It was the same thing when he was farther away from her—he either couldn't stop thinking about her or he'd forgotten she existed. Wondering what he was going to do about it kept him up that night.

He was still wondering what to do when he walked into the classroom the next morning and Professor Shibuya reminded him of his _other_ girl problem.

"You have a visitor in the nurse's office Sohma-kun. I'd prefer it if you'd go see them _before _my class is supposed to start."

No.

Hatori.

Maibara-san?

Not there—her allergies must still be acting up.

Why didn't they while she'd been carrying him around?

Hatori.

What am I going to tell him?

Does the girl who exposed me know he's coming? What if she gets to him first?

_What am I going to do about the situation with Yun-chan?_

Yuki was a bit of a mess when he finally entered the nurse's office. As soon as he walked inside, however, things grew a lot more complicated. As soon as he walked inside, all thoughts of any other girls were swept away. All because she standing there.

Tohru.

NEXT: FRIENDS

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	7. Friends

_**A/N: **__**It's a chapter! Sorry it took a little longer this time-I got REALLY sick D8. BUT I'm better now, so...here it is. I'm trying to do this crazy thing called weekly updates, which we all know isn't going to happen, but if it does, wouldn't that be awesome? At best you can expect ch 6 by the week after next, these chappies take me a bit to type. **_

**_Some interesting stuff comes to light in this chapter, and I wonder what you guys will think..._**

**_...and I don't own Fruits Basket._**

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AYN FIVE: FRIENDS

Why was Kyo here, anyway?

Tohru looked uncomfortable, like she wanted to say something about what had happened like she really wanted Yuki to be okay, like she wanted to ask him how he was doing—

Tohru looked worried.

Why, even now did that annoy him? Kyo was so used to Yuki winning he'd almost challenged the rat to a fight.

Almost.

Then he'd seen the bracelet on Yuki's wrist—those black and white beads Kyo had hated and treasured for so long that to see them on Yuki gave him immense relief and panic at the same time.

The mood was awkward too, especially after the way things had been left off when Yuki'd been sent away.

All these things just annoyed Kyo, so _why_ was he here?

"Ah…Sohma-kun…" Tohru struggled to find something to say to defuse the giant bomb she'd dropped on Yuki by showing up here.

Oh yeah—_that's_ why.

"Yuki doesn't have much time to talk," Hatori reminded them all, "I need to check his lungs so he can go back to class."

"R-Right, I just, um…are you okay?" she asked Yuki in that concerned voice only Tohru made sound real.

Hatori was gently guiding Yuki to sit on the bed in nurse's office. Kyo made sure to stay as far out of the way as was physically possible without leaving the room.

He wasn't going to leave her alone with that damn rat, not after coming all the way out to this miserably cold place.

"I…I'm fine." Yuki mumbled, sitting on the table as Hatori had motioned him to, Kyo noticed that not only did Yuki not look "fine," he also wasn't looking at Tohru.

As Hatori lifted Yuki's shirt to place the stethoscope underneath, Tohru turned around and stared at the ceiling. Was it just Kyo, or was her face red?

Damn it _all, _this was annoying!

"S-So how is school…here?" Tohru asked awkwardly.

"A-Alright." Yuki replied.

"Take a deep breath." Hatori ordered. Kyo watched out of the corner of his eyes as Hatori ran through his routine and Tohru's eyes moved from the ceiling to the floor, and as she began fiddling with her thumbs.

"All done." Hatori announced, causing Tohru to spin around and Kyo to look up. "Seems you're doing alright. As long as you don't over-exert yourself the cold weather shouldn't affect you too much." Yuki just nodded and Hatori began packing up his medical supplies.

Tohru looked uncertain again—of what to say or do. Kyo was pretty sure she'd wait until after Yuki'd left and get all depressed for saying nothing _again_ at this rate.

"Didn't you have something to say or did you drag me out her just so you could check on this damn rat like his nanny or something?" Kyo demanded.

"Now is hardly the time to get violent Kyo." Hatori reprimanded.

Kyo tsked and turned to look at the wall. Even _that_ seemed more active than Yuki right now.

This was seriously…

"U-Um Sohma-kun…if you ever want to come back to Shigure-san's, like on your birthday or something you…can, you know that, right?" Tohru asked. Yuki just nodded.

…pissing him off.

"WHAT IS THE _MATTER_ WITH YOU!" Kyo shouted, slamming his fist into the wall and whirling on Yuki.

"Kyo—" Tohru began, but Kyo wasn't finished.

Not by a long shot.

"You just gonna sit there and nod like some kind of loser, you damn rat? HUH! Is this what I challenged you to all those fights for—to make you into some kind of zombie!"

"I didn't ask to lose you stupid cat." Yuki replied angrily, glaring up at Kyo, "That's just your foolish assumption since there's no other way you could've beaten me."

That's more like it. That's the damn rat I know. "Is that a challenge? Bring it! I'll take you down anytime!"

"Kyo!" Tohru protested, but the gears had already been set in motion.

Yuki stood, "You foolish cat, you just don't learn, do you? You can't beat me."

"Oh, yeah? WANNA BET!" And Kyo lunged at Yuki and Yuki dodged and turned to retaliate and it was like old times, like…

"Kyo! Sohma-kun!"

…like Yuki'd never—but no, he was hesitating, something wasn't right Kyo aimed again and managed to get a punch in before Hatori grabbed him from behind and started to pull him away. The punch not only landed—it landed Yuki on the floor.

"Sohma-kun!" Tohru cried.

"Damn rat…" Kyo spat as Yuki sat on the floor, a hand on the cheek Kyo had slugged, "WHAT WAS THE POINT IN BEATING YOU IF YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO FIGHT TO GET IT BACK!"

A silence settled on the nurse's office with nothing but Kyo's echoing words to break it. If anyone else had been in the room besides them they would've called security, something told Kyo from the back of his mind.

Kyo didn't give a shit.

"I'll kill you, you damn rat. If you keep this up, I'll kill you." And with that he shrugged off Hatori and stormed out of the nurse's office and down the hallway. Let Hatori deal with the damn rat. What did Kyo care?

It wasn't worth it to fight someone who didn't even care about living.

Dammit all, it _had_ to be the bracelet's fault.

Otherwise he and Yuki wouldn't have anything in common.

Not anything.

x—o—x—o—x

Yuki couldn't get Kyo's words out of his head. There had once been a time when Yuki would've given anything to trade places with Kyo in order to escape the Sohma cage.

He'd never thought "anything" meant Tohru.

It wasn't a matter of how Yuki felt about her—it was how Tohru felt about him. She still didn't even call him by his first name, while Kyo…

The worst part was that Tohru hadn't even realized what had changed. Especially since everyone else had. Except maybe Kyo. Yuki didn't really understand why Kyo would _want_ Yuki to fight to be a member of the Zodiac. It's not like the stupid cat would take the bracelet and its curse back willingly. Ever since he'd wound up on the ground looking up at Kyo's wide-eyed face Yuki'd known.

He'd never win a fight against Kyo again.

After all, what _was_ the point? Either way Kyo had won. Kyo had Tohru.

And Yuki? Yuki had no one.

That was when he thought of Yun-chan.

That was when he walked back into his classroom and his eyes went wide to see the dark-haired girl sitting in the second row near the door. He'd forgotten.

He'd completely forgotten to tell Hatori about Maibara-san.

"Hey Yuki-kun." She greeted him cheerfully, her cheer shifting to confusion when she spotted the mark on his jaw Yuki was sure he had from Kyo's punch. "Are you okay?"

Are you okay, are you okay, why is that all anyone ever asks me?

Am I really that pathetic?

"Yeah. I'm fine." Yuki replied numbly.

"Freaked-out, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional?" She teased and when Yuki looked at her questioningly she just waved a hand and said, "Never mind. Hey—don't run from the classroom when the lunch bell rings, okay? I have a surprise for you."

Now Yuki was worried. "What—" he began, but the bell rang before he could finish.

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you what it was." Maibara-san reminded him as Professor Shinjuya ordered Yuki to take his seat.

At this rate Yuki would never be able to pay attention to his lessons.

o—x—o—x—o

Yuki had no idea what Maibara-san was planning. He also had no idea why she was making him wait in his seat. Or why she wasn't saying anything. Like what they were waiting for, or why she was so energetic when she'd been sick just yesterday, or why she hadn't asked why he'd turned into a rat last Saturday.

Especially that last one.

"Maibara-san…can I ask you something?" Yuki questioned.

"Only if it won't ruin the surprise." She agreed skeptically.

"Why…haven't you said anything?"

"About what?"

Yuki just stared at her. "About me."

"What about you?"

"A-About…me and…" Did she forget? Did that blonde chick get to Hatori before him after all? "…Saturday?" he finished hesitantly.

"Oh that. Um…if you…don't want to tutor me anymore, I'll understand. I know how slow I am with those proofs and I get how that'd be frustrating." Maibara-san admitted sadly.

She doesn't remember. Hatori must've—

"And," Maibara-san added, interrupting Yuki's thoughts, "If you're worried don't be. I won't tell anyone where the rat came from."

She _does _remember! "But why…?" Yuki asked.

"Even if people would believe me I wouldn't go around telling them my friends' secrets."

'Friend?' Right, because Yuki hadn't tried to use her and throw her away like a…

Well, like a rat.

"Oh, there we go!" Maibara-san exclaimed, jumping up and racing past Yuki.

This isn't possible. There just _can't _be…

"I don't think I properly introduced you two before." Maibara-san announced, having brought someone over to his desk.

That 'someone' just happened to be Yun-chan.

…anyone else like Tohru.

x—o—x—o—x

While Kyo had found that morning's hospital visit to be socially awkward Yuki thought lunch that day was enormously more so.

And that fight he _could_ win.

Yun-chan, _the_ Yun-chan was sitting only a few feet from him and he wasn't going completely mental. He needed to think carefully about what to say—he really didn't want her to think he was any more of a freak than she already did. He also wanted to learn _why_ he had had such a sudden and bizarre infatuation with her from the moment he'd met her—surely that wasn't normal. It was like he'd—

Yuki almost choked on his soda.

"Y-Yuki-kun, are you okay?" Maibara-san asked. Yuki just nodded. "Swallow wrong?" Yuki nodded again.

Yun-chan made a face, "That sucks—I hate it when that happens."

Did she just compliment me? Yuki wondered. No, no, she was agreeing with me, that's different. "Thanks." Yuki squeaked out.

"For what?" Yun-chan asked, clearly confused.

"Well—for—I—um…." _She's talking to me!_

As if she could see what he was thinking Maibara-san frowned. Yun-chan raised an eyebrow. "Don't hurt yourself." She muttered.

She cares if I hurt myself? Does that mean she cares about me? I really hope she—

"Yuki-kun?" Maibara-san interrupted his thoughts, "How's your food?"

"What am I doing?" were the next words out of Yuki's mouth. His next thought was: Did I just say that out loud?

Yun-chan's laughter confirmed this and sent all of Yuki's senses into high-alert. "You're eating lunch with us, doofus. Man, Mai, I know you said he was more normal than I thought he was, but this is almost _too_ normal!"

Maibara-san smiled nervously, "Y-Yeah…"

Yuki didn't notice. All he could hear, see, feel, taste, smell, was Yun-chan's laugh, the way dimples had formed in her cheeks, her gently curving lips, her—

"Wh-What're you doing?" Yun-chan asked, snapping Yuki back to the present and the fact that he was leaning halfway across the table towards her.

What was he thinking?

But her breath as she spoke, as she laughed it smelled so…

What was he doing? Why was he still leaning forward?

…strongly of small, dark spaces, of…

Snap out of it!

…sewers?

"Yuki-kun, can I have a word?" Maibara-san asked politely enough despite the fact that she was now dragging him rather forcefully into the hallway. In as quiet a voice as she looked able to manage she asked, "What are you doing?"

"Kissing her." Yuki answered dumbly.

"You don't….Remember the rat we saw Saturday?"

Yuki nodded slowly. Of course he remembered, he wasn't stupid, the rat was him.

"Don't you think that rat will come back if you kiss her?"

As soon as Yuki's senses caught up with Maibara-san's questions he wanted simultaneously to smack himself and to hurl.

Oh yes, he _was _stupid.

It was like he'd turned into one of his _fangirls_—the way he was mooning over Yun-chan was exactly the sort of thing they always did over him. It was disgusting.

So why did it keep happening to him?

"Why don't you—" Maibara-san began, but was interrupted by a loud bell announcing their lunch break was over.

Just as well—Yuki'd almost closed the whole damn school.

Maibara-san smiled sadly, patted him on the shoulder, and went back into the classroom to help Yun-chan clean up.

Yuki couldn't even remember if he'd eaten anything.

o—x—o—x—o

Hisaya Yunari, age 17.

Birthday: June 10th.

Student Grades: Average.

Student Conduct: Excellent.

…Her student file told Yuki nothing about why this girl caused him to do such inexplicable things because of her.

Such as sneak into the guidance counselor's office after school just to look at her student file. Which was effectively useless to Yuki, although he was glad to know her full name. And her birthday was coming up—he should buy her a present, but what would she like?

And there he was again, thinking about doing something strange for this girl he hardly knew.

Or to her.

Never mind that though, if Yuki wanted to do something useful he should tank Maibara-san for stopping him earlier, during lunch. The rat in him would've indeed "come back." True, a kiss never changed any zodiac member as far as he knew, but Yuki was sure the shock of _touching_ Yun-chan would change him and if not, the things he would've tried after the kiss would have for sure.

He'd thought of doing all those things with poor Maibara-san still in the room?

Disgusting.

Oh well.

Her file says "Excellent Conduct"—Yuki wondered if any of her professors would know what she'd want for her birthday.

x—o—x—o—x

Nakira couldn't understand it. Why was Maibara still keeping Yuki's secret? He'd used her to get close to Yunari and yet she still covered for him. Worse still, Yuki hadn't said a word to Hatori even though she'd been sure he would.

Even the stuff she kept slipping into Yunari's lunch wasn't working the way it was supposed to. Yuki was _supposed_ to feel such a strong reaction to the stuff that he'd come onto Yunari without thinking, revealing his secret to the school or at the very least to Yunari herself. It was the rat version of cat nip, for crying out loud.

So why wasn't it working?

Nakira sat on her apartment floor, grinding her teeth together and trying to understand where her plan went wrong.

She'd just have to increase the amount of rat nip in Yunari's food—there was nothing else to it. And if that didn't work, well…

…She'd just have to make sure she had an audience the next time she pushed Yuki into a girl.

o—x—o—x—o

It wasn't until Yuki was home with Yun-chan's school file and a box of chicken wings that his brain found him again. He sank into the chair by his tiny kitchen table and stared at the file as though it were an alien growth on his hand.

Why had he stolen her file from the faculty office?

Better yet, why had he gone in there in the first place? What was it about Yun-chan that made him act so strangely? Was this—and he shuddered to even think it—how his fangirls felt?

No wonder they were so crazy.

…And then there was this morning, with forgetting to tell Hatori about Maibara-san, with Kyo shouting at him, with…her.

" 'What was the point in beating you if you're never going to fight to get it back,' huh?" Yuki asked himself aloud, repeating Kyo's words from earlier. "Stupid cat. I never wanted any of that in the first place."

Suddenly Yuki wondered why he'd never just _let_ Kyo win. If he'd truly wanted to escape the Sohma cage, why hadn't he just let Kyo win? Perhaps some part of him had always known he'd never escape.

After all, here he was the outcast and he felt more caged than he ever had when he'd been a true member of the Zodiac. He had such limited contact with the others now that he might as well have been shipped to some deserted island in the South Pacific.

When people had to tag along with your doctor on his check-up just to see you, you knew you were being isolated.

And then there was Maibara-san, the ultimate irony. Yuki was suddenly attracted to Yun-chan and Maibara-san, who just happened to be Yun-chan's best friend coincidently had no problems with him being a rat and was even willing to help him get to know Yun-chan.

It was all just so…

Yuki felt as though a light bulb was slowly turning on inside his head. It was all just so _easy, _so _convenient._

Too convenient, in fact.

Sometimes Yuki felt like kicking himself for being such a fool. Of course it was easy, of course it was convenient—that was the point.

Why hadn't he seen it before?

That girl with the bleached blonde hair wasn't the real threat sent to keep an eye on Yuki—it was Maibara-san. Why else would she react so calmly when she saw him transform? How else would she have known to hide him from sight and help him home?

It was all part of his cage.

Make him feel more at home, more comfortable, make him drop his guard so that the grip of his prison keeper could tighten even more.

Yuki wasn't sure how he'd missed it, but he wasn't going to be fooled any longer.

He knew the perfect disguise for an enemy was that of a friend.

NEXT: VULNERABLE

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	8. Vulnerable

**_A/N: I'M SO SORRY IT'S LATE! Life was like "RAR!" and I was like "GAH!" and my typing life was like "UGUU~..." ...And if that makes any sense to anyone I don't wanna know lol. I'll do my best to keep up the every two weeks updating, but you'll have to forgive me the occasional "Life goes RAR!" moment._**

**_So, I still don't own Fruits Basket._**

**_Also, this chapter is rated M FOR MATURE o_O Only because suicide is mentioned and I don't wanna get yelled at for not upping the rating. You have been warned!_**

**_...Enjoy :)_**

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AYN SIX: VULNERABLE

_"This world is dying."_

_That is what was said a very, very long time ago by those well-versed in the condition of all things._

_And so they decided a balance was required and that there should be a God and a Devil to enact such a balance. Two among them were chosen to perform these roles. For many years after, all seemed safe._

_But there was a problem—God and his Devil were not eternal, they were relatively normal men and like most normal men they would die one day. The world could not live without them and so it was decided the God and the Devil should have children, and their children should have children and the job of balancing the world would be passed down among them._

_And so they had children—far more than needed. The un-needed children were strange for they were children of God or the Devil, but they could not be God or the Devil as there were already the two eldest to take those positions. No one could ignore these children, but neither did anyone know of a job they alone could perform._

_What was the world to do with thirteen odd gods and demons?_

x—o—x—o—x

Wednesday morning. How Yuki hated the sun. It was a constant blindingly bright reminder of the day, and even though the sun of this wintry village was as cold as his aching bones it was twice as bright as any other view of the same sun thanks to the reflective properties of the snow that littered the ground 24/7.

He was really starting to hate this place.

Worst of it all, he had absolutely nothing to look forward to. Maibara-san was as fake as his attraction to Yun-chan, and just as inexplicable. He'd never seen or heard of a Maibara-san in the Sohma family inner circle, but then again he'd never heard of that obnoxious blonde girl either.

What _was_ the point of it all?

He couldn't move forward, he couldn't move backwards, he was trapped in limbo. Trapped in some backwoods town far from everything he knew and cared about.

But then, everything he knew and cared about was changing, drifting away, as lost to him as the escape he dreamed of all his life.

The white and black beads on his wrist were all he had to look at to remind himself that he would never be free, never be normal. He would always be a prisoner in his own body. He understood that. There was only one thing he didn't understand.

Why did he bother to try at all?

o—x—o—x—o

Time passed in an uncertain blur. After using his bed sheets to black out the window Yuki curled up on his bed and stopped trying. He didn't know how long he laid there. How long he slept. How long he stared at the walls. How long it took for the phone to start ringing. How long it took to stop ringing. How long it was before he heard Maibara-san knocking at his door and calling his name. He ignored it all.

None of it really mattered anymore.

The first thing that happened that did matter was when the nightmares came back. The first time in days he'd woken up screaming. That grotesque monster he turned into every time he closed his eyes…it was almost too much for Yuki to bear.

He wasn't sure when it happened, or even if it truly _was_ happening at first, but the next significant thing ended his prolonged absence from caring.

The next significant thing was Yun-chan knocking on his door.

x—o—x—o—x

"Yuki? Yuki open the door!"

Uncertain if this was some new nightmare Yuki moaned at the sound of fists pounding on his door. His heart gave a weak flutter at the thought that the voice calling his name might be Yun-chan's, but his nightmares always ended with him in his cursed outcast form. If it was Yun-chan at his door, he would not open it.

He would spare her the horror.

"Yuki! Yuki, I know you're in there, open up! You can't stay in there forever!"

Of course not, he knew that. And yet he couldn't convince his body to move. There was no point in trying. He could not kill himself, but if he starved to death there on that bed, so be it. At least then there would be no more monstrous form to hide from, no more beaded bracelet to remind him.

No more cage to bind him.

More pounding at the door now, and more shouting. He ignored the words, but his eyes were open and staring blearily at the locked entryway.

Silence for who knows how long. And then…

A clicking sound.

Hard to recognize until the door swings open—somewhere she's found a key.

Yun-chan is so different than he remembers.

Her hair is a soft blonde with hints of red in it, her eyes an alarmed hazel, her face a gentle heart-shape—none of that has changed. Her scent, however, is completely different. Yuki cannot even understand what she's saying as he reaches a hand out to touch her. She moves before he gets the chance, running to his phone to call someone for help.

Like they would know what to do.

His arm is incredibly unsteady. He tries to straighten it, but his hand just won't stop shaking.

…Or is that his entire body? So impossible to tell what does and doesn't hurt at this point.

It's then that he notices Maibara-san standing in the doorway for the first time. Somehow the sight of her makes him feel immensely worse.

Did that moan come from him?

Must have—Yun-chan's by his side again.

Maibara-san has taken up the phone in her stead. Something about the look on her face makes him feel so…

So…

…Weak.

"You're gonna be okay Yuki, there's an ambulance on the way." Yun-chan reassures him. He manages a smile—would've been a laugh had he been able to manage it. The ambulance is a nice gesture, but it'll just make things far worse.

Still, it was nice to know she cared.

Maybe that was enough: to know she cared. To know that she hadn't meant to hurt him. Hadn't meant to break his heart when she fell in love with someone else.

"Tohru…"

"Yuki? Who's Tohru? It's me, Yun-chan, remember, from school?" the girl kneeling by his bed asked. Of course he remembered. He remembered the first time he saw her, and the way he'd come alive again. He remembered trying to talk to her and only managing a few words at a time through gritted teeth as he tried to fight the urges he felt towards her. To kill her.

…To kiss her.

It was all falling apart anyway. Soon the cage would burst at the seams, a pointless gesture when empty. If he was as weak as he felt, if she was calling an ambulance for a dying rat, then, well…

She was going to have to live with the consequences.

Using his elbows, Yuki pushed his head up off the mattress. His arms shaking like a tree in a windstorm, he leaned forward.

"What're you—" Yun-chan began, but he didn't let her finish. Maibara-san didn't stop him quickly enough this time—he didn't even know if she noticed.

He pressed his dry, aching lips to her soft, warm mouth and enjoyed a brief moment of peace. The calm before the storm.

His arms gave out and Yuki fell forward.

He remembered his clothes billowing around him as he fell, a small gray rat, towards her lap. He also remembered screaming.

And this time it wasn't his.

o—x—o—x—o

"Will he be alright?" Yuki heard Maibara-san ask.

"I think so. He'll need to get some food in him as soon as he can. That, and lots of rest." That voice sounded like Hatori's, but that couldn't be right. Why would Hatori be here? Oh—that's it—this is another dream. Yuki should've realized that earlier. Except…Except that he was still a rat.

His dreams usually took him someplace a lot darker.

Then again, his dream of Yun-chan hadn't been dark. Perhaps this was a continuation of that dream.

"Will…Yun-chan?" Maibara-san's voice asked.

"The last thing she'll remember when she wakes up is the paramedics taking Yuki to the hospital…human." Hatori answered.

"…I…thought for sure she'd…I guess she's not ready yet."

"Some never are."

"But…Yuki really likes her."

"Yes, I want to talk to you about that…"

And once more Yuki's dream drifted away from him.

The next time he was conscious Yuki managed to open his eyes. He was still a rat, but somehow Hatori had managed to hook up an IV to his paw.

It was amazing the things you could pull off in a dream that you couldn't in reality.

"Hey Yuki-kun, you awake?" Maibara-san asked. He looked to see she was sitting on the end of the bed although Yuki was sure she'd been standing…things like that were hard to determine when he was small.

"Awake enough." He answered hoarsely. Why not?—he'd play along. This dream was awfully realistic for one that not only reoccurred, but continued. But since this was only a dream it seemed pointless to ask her any more.

He closed his eyes.

"Yuki-kun?"

"Hmm?"

"Oh…just…checking. You scared me for a minute there." She laughed nervously. "Hatori-san, um…says he'll stay and make sure you get better."

Yuki had been considering sleeping again, but he was awake now. Something in the way this was all playing out told him this was no dream. He could feel it in his little rat bones: this was real.

And he was right.

"You know Hatori." A statement of fact, not a question. He'd been right about her after all—she was a spy.

"Y-Yeah. I um…knew he was the best person to call for a…well, something like this. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I just thought—"

"Thought what? That you could get closer to me if you lied about who you are? And who are you, really—is your name even Maibara, or was that a lie too?"

"It is Maibara." She answered in a quiet voice, "Maibara Saiyuri."

He'd never heard of a Saiyuri in the Sohma inner circle either. "Why haven't I ever heard of you?"

"They um…told me recently."

Great. So they brought her in specifically to watch him. Just what Yuki needed. "Thanks for calling Hatori. Now leave."

"I—I can't do that!" She actually looked appalled at the idea. "Not until the…you don't know yet."

He groaned. "Don't know what?" Did she have any idea how tired he was? Why couldn't she just leave?

"Later…get some rest first, okay?"

As much as Yuki wanted to argue with her, he didn't have the strength—he kept having to force his eyelids back up and she would've had to have been blind to miss that.

Later. He would find out what she meant later.

x—o—x—o—x

Yuki had no idea how long he slept, or what was happening around him, or even whether he'd transformed back yet. The only thing he was sure of was that the way he slept had changed entirely. It was deeper, more peaceful.

…Free of nightmares.

And yet he couldn't shake the troubling feeling that something wasn't right. He still felt lost every time he was conscious, still felt it would be easier to give up. And yet he couldn't get her face out of his mind.

Yun-chan.

The shape of her face, the color of her hair, the concern in her eyes…

...the feel of her lips…

Why did he still feel this way about her? She would never accept him—he was certain he'd heard her scream when he transformed. And the way he kept thinking of her instead of Tohru…

It was tearing him up inside.

And then there was Maibara, and how he'd stupidly started trusting her without considering her calm reaction to him becoming a rat.

Just because Tohru'd been calm…

Just because Tohru'd accepted him…

How could he have let his guard down?

Tohru was one of a kind—he'd always known that innocence, that gentleness, that selflessness of hers was hers alone. Nowhere else in the world was a girl like her and she'd chosen Kyo—she'd chosen the cat before she'd even met him.

Yuki was fairly certain he cried.

And he had no idea how long.

o—x—o—x—o

When next he opened his eyes, Yuki was human. Still in his bed, still with an IV connected to his hand, still with someone sitting by his bed. Someone he'd heard when he'd thought he was only dreaming.

"Hatori." Yuki's voice was hoarse from misuse, his throat too dry to be of much help.

Hatori opened his eyes—he'd been dozing when Yuki'd called his name. "You're awake," He acknowledged, "How are you feeling?"

"How do—" Yuki's voice cracked under the pressure of working without moisture and he struggled to speak.

"Need some water?" Hatori asked.

Yuki merely nodded.

It was only when Hatori crossed the room to fill a cup with tap from the sink faucet that Yuki noticed who was sleeping a t his kitchen chair, her body slumped over and her head on his table.

Maibara.

Yuki wasn't sure how to feel about her lying there. Sure she was probably supposed to keep an eye on him, but was she supposed to sleep at his kitchen table while waiting for him to get better? Or was this another layer of his warden's plan?

Maibara, Yun-chan…

…Tohru.

Hatori returned with the cup and propped Yuki up wordlessly. Despite his stomach's protests Yuki gulped the water down as fast as he was able, sighing in relief when the glass was empty. Hatori laid him back down and returned to the chair by Yuki's bedside.

"How do you stand it?" Yuki managed to ask now that he wasn't parched.

Hatori gave him a questioning look.

Yuki turned his gaze to the ceiling. He didn't want to see Hatori's reaction to what he'd ask next. "How do you stand living without her?"

…He didn't want to see his own pain mirrored in Hatori's eyes.

Yuki had never asked Hatori about Kana before—he'd never even had a reason to mention her. But now, when it felt like his heart was trying to rip itself in two, he couldn't help but wonder how Hatori could stand it.

Worse still, Hatori had personally erased Kana's memory.

A lump formed in Yuki's throat at the very thought of Tohru forgetting him. At _any_ of them forgetting him, even that stupid cat. And yet with his own hands, Hatori had…

In a voice so quiet it was almost inaudible Hatori answered, "You don't."

The silence in the room made Yuki's heart seem like a bass drum in his ears. Was that the answer, then? Yuki was going to feel this way forever?

"But," Hatori added a little louder, "It's easier…knowing she's happy."

Yuki felt like crying all over again. The loudest sound in the room was their hearts breaking.

What, really, could he say to that?

x—o—x—o—x

Yuki and Hatori sat in silence for a long while after they'd spoken. Sometimes Hatori checked Yuki's pulse or his IV, sometimes Hatori dozed again or brought himself and Yuki some water.

Yuki mainly stared at the ceiling and tried not to think. He didn't know how much time passed before Maibara woke up, but whatever it was, it wasn't long enough.

He was _not_ looking forward to talking to her.

"Mmm…" She moaned as she stretched, looking Hatori's direction, "How long was I asleep?"

"A few hours." Hatori answered, "He's awake if you want to talk to him."

Yuki's glare at Hatori was half-hearted—he couldn't be mad at anyone right now. If anything it was more plea than glare. It didn't matter either way—Hatori was soon standing to trade places with Maibara. She sat in the chair by his bedside and gave him a half-smile that told him she still expected him to be angry with her.

"Hey." She said meekly.

Yuki stared at her wearily. He was so tired of having his heart stomped on that he didn't know what to say. All he'd ever wanted was to… No, he couldn't think about that.

Couldn't think about _her_ right now.

"Um so…I…have something I promised I'd tell you, but…would you rather I waited?"

Yuki shrugged. What could she possibly say that could make him feel any worse than he did now?

"Well…uh…" She bit her lip as she tried to figure out something, "…how to put this…you know…how you feel about Yun?"

Yuki was wrong again: he did feel worse. Why had she brought that up? He'd hurt some girl he didn't even know, and worse his feelings for her kept overshadowing the ones he had for Tohru, even replacing them. As if he'd never known Tohru, never even cared about her. The guilt he felt over that was a raw nerve and Maibara had just stomped on it.

The irony was just plain dumb.

"Those feelings…" Maibara continued hesitantly, "aren't um…they're not real."

What?

"I mean, I know you think you really like her," Maibara went on as if she'd heard Yuki's unspoken thought—he was staring at her hard enough, "But that's just, well…it's this stuff she's been…I dunno, eating, drinking, standing near for a long time—"

"Exposed to." Hatori supplied.

"Yeah, that." Maibara agreed, "She's been exposed to something that makes, well…" Maibara blushed, "…Makes your rat hormones go crazy."

Was she serious? Hatori was backing her up so surely she wasn't lying. Could it really be…?

"Please say you're okay."

Okay? He was…

Yuki didn't know what he was.

"They're not really…my feelings?" He asked.

"I'm sorry, I know how much you might feel like they're real, but—"

"No," Yuki interrupted, "That makes sense." All those times he'd wanted to strangle Yun-chan. All those times he'd thought he smelled sewers.

All those times he'd wondered _why._

"So, if she stops being exposed to this…thing?"

"You'll stop liking her." Maibara looked like she was giving him terrible news, but Yuki was thrilled at the prospect. No more Yun-chan this, and Yun-chan that, no more going crazy every time she was nearby…

…No more feeling guilty.

But…then what would he be left with? Even if they were fake, these feelings he had for Yun-chan had saved him from the brink of death twice now.

What would happen to him without them?

"We don't really know where she's um…being exposed just yet, but if you want we can try to find out." Maibara offered.

Yuki looked at her—really looked—and tried to read what she was thinking in those big blue eyes of hers. Did she really care either way? Did Yun-chan? Now that he understood what was happening to him would he be able to control himself better? Should he even risk it? Last time he'd seen her, he'd kissed her. If something like that happened in a public place, how many minds would Hatori be forced to wipe?

"I…I don't know what I want to do about this." Yuki admitted, "I need time to think."

Maibara gave him a gentle pat on the arm. "Take as much time as you need."

Yuki nodded. He would do just that.

But first: sleep.

**NEXT IN ABANDONED:**

**INTERLUDE: THE NAME CALLER**


	9. Interlude:  The Name Caller

**_A/N:__ This? This is because the story was getting too serious :P _**

**_...And I never claimed to be a poet ; So don't pick on my strange poetry please, ah-ha-ha..._**

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INTERLUDE: THE NAME CALLER

A HATSUHARU TALE

It isn't easy being a cow,

Or feeling queasy about processed meat.

Or being stared at as you walk down the street.

People always point and stare

When they see anything irregular.

It seems to me that a cow, at least,

Is the biggest sore thumb in the Zodiac.

A cow sticks out more than a little old rat,

Who could've come from an alley,

Or a tiger, escaped from the local zoo.

A rabbit is hardly out of place,

As common as you please.

And while a sea horse is a little odd,

It's easy to hide from sight.

A snake, of course, comes with a garden

And a horse, of course, a ranch.

Sheep aren't slaughtered for much but cotton

And roosters are like an alarm's second cousin.

Dogs are common household pets,

And some weird people keep boars instead,

While cats are merely common bred.

But people think twice about a cow.

Oh, it's true, I forgot the monkeys,

But no one eats a human's relatives.

So as I walk down the street,

I try to ignore the points and stares,

And teens approaching me on a dare.

But the one thing that makes it truly unfair,

That makes me want to run them over,

Or turn into another Zodiac member

Is when some little kid calls me the wrong name.

Not "cow," not "rat," not "tiger," nor "rabbit,"

Or "dragon, snake, horse," or "sheep."

No, not even "monkey."

They never call me a "rooster" or "dog" either,

And "boar" is the furthest thing from it.

No, what makes it truly unfair,

More than being called "kitty" could ever compare,

Is some little snot who calls me "burger."

**NEXT IN ABANDONED:**

**DIAL-TONE**


	10. DialTone

**_A/N: Next Abandoned chapter, fresh off the press! ...Why do these always seem so much longer on paper than when I type them up? -_- Oh well, enjoy!_**

**_...I don't own Fruits Basket._**

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AYN SEVEN: DIAL-TONE

On Tuesday, May 8th, Nakira Sumata made her plan to increase the amount of "rat nip" she was adding to Yunari Hisaya's food in order to finally expose Yuki as the vile little plague he truly was. She was certain her plan was flawless.

Then on Wednesday, May 9th, Yuki failed to show up for school. A minor setback—he'd done this once before so she saw no need to let it affect her. She'd increased the dosage and Yunari didn't suspect a thing. She'd get Yuki on Thursday.

Thursday, May 10th. Maybe he was taking a couple of days off because of something Hatori said?

Friday, May 11th. The fan girls were more harm than good. The more they reminded her that he wasn't there, the more she wanted to strangle them.

Saturday, May 12th. She hadn't expected him to show up anyway. He was probably taking the weekend off.

…But when Yuki still hadn't shown up for school on Monday, Nakira grew tired of waiting and hinted to Maibara that taking Yunari to see Yuki might cheer him up. She did not mention the fact that, when they left after school she planned to follow. And when she heard Yunari's scream from the hallway of Yuki's apartment building Nakira left with a satisfied smile on her face.

Her mistake was asking Yunari about the incident the next day at lunch.

"So I hear you visited Yuki at his apartment yesterday." She announced, sliding into the seat across from Yunari. The look on Yunari's face was a priceless _"Who the hell is this and why are they sitting near me?"_

"Who are you?" Yunari asked, voicing only part of the question on her face.

Nakira flashed Yunari her best stupid brainless-Yuki-fan girl smile, "A huuuuuge Yuki fan." She said.

Now Yunari's face said something that roughly translated to _"Ugh."_ "Yeah, I'm sure you are." She scoffed, "But since you aren't friends with him or, hmm, better yet, even _know_ him, I'm not telling you anything."

Nakira gaped at the strawberry blonde across from her. Having never spoken to the girl before she'd assumed Yunari was another bimbo of a high schooler. Being told off by her gave her a whole new level of respect in Nakira's mind.

"You can leaaaaaave now." Yunari told her, mocking the way Nakira's said "fan" in the way she said "leave."

An appallingly odd thought occurred to Nakira. "You like him."

"Wh-What? I do not! He's a friend, that's all, jeesh you guys are vultures!" Yun hurriedly gathered her things and rushed off, glancing back every so often to be sure Nakira wasn't following.

The look on Yunari's face…

"She…_did_ see him transform, didn't she? Nakira muttered to herself. "I'm not crazy, I heard her scream, didn't I?"

If Nakira didn't know better, the look on Yunari's face…Well, it wasn't a _"Yes,"_

...But it wasn't a _"No"_ either.

o—x—o—x—o

Having lunch in his bed was an odd feeling for Yuki. Even odder was the feeling he got knowing Hatori and Maibara were there eating lunch with him. So far he'd gathered that he'd been out of school for almost a week because it had been this time last week he'd had lunch with Maibara and Yun-chan.

Strange—he was sure more time had passed than that.

"I'll be sure to write you a note for the prolonged absence." Hatori assumed him when Yuki first heard how long he'd been out. Yuki'd merely nodded—he wasn't sure he wanted to go back.

Yun-chan was there—that was a plus, wasn't it? …He really didn't need more ways to be confused.

Halfway through the meal, Maibara gave him several more anyway. But then, Yuki was beginning to learn that she was good at that.

"Say um…Yuki?" She asked.

"Hmm?"

"Do you…mind if I stay until you get better?"

Better? Until he was _better_?

If she stayed that long she'd never leave.

Yuki shrugged. …But her asking him that made him wonder: was she asking because she wanted to or because she has to?

Hatori soon, in a way, asked this question for him.

"You know you don't have to do that—I'm not going anywhere."

"I—I know…" Maibara answered quietly, "…I want to."

"Then it's up to Yuki." Hatori said.

Just what Yuki wanted—more difficult decisions. But, then again…how was he ever going to understand why she'd been let in on the Sohma secret if he never let her anywhere near him? It was incredibly odd for them to tell anyone outside the family and not have Hatori wipe each and every person who found out.

He didn't want to think about the last time someone outside the family had learned their secret and kept their memory of it.

"Sure, why not?" Yuki asked rhetorically. Dryly. He was trying to avoid the empty place in the middle of himself, but it was hard when the circumstances seemed similar. But thinking about it, thinking about her…it was too difficult for him to do that.

Plus, who was to say she was happy? She was too busy worrying about him to realize what'd happened between her and Kyo. Yuki wasn't sure what was worse: that she felt that way about Kyo, or that she was oblivious to those feelings.

The stupid cat was no help—he was twice as oblivious as Tohru, and that was saying something.

…Why had he thought her name?

Suddenly Yuki wasn't hungry anymore. Even if Kyo and Tohru did realize each other's feelings Yuki doubted that would make how _he_ felt easier.

If Tohru wasn't worried about him, maybe she would realize…

Again the thought of her forgetting him crossed his mind and he felt ill—physically and emotionally.

"Yuki? You okay—you look awful pale." Maibara told him, coming over and placing a hand to his forehead to check his temperature. He jumped a little at her touch and then found himself staring at her eyes as he had earlier.

If they were a shade darker, and her hair was out of that ponytail…

"Ah…that's why."

"What?" Maibara asked.

Yuki hadn't realized he'd spoken that thought out loud. "Nothing."

"Oh. Well…I don't think you're running a temperature…" She trailed off, staring at the unfinished Miso soup in his hands. "Done eating?" He nodded and she took the bowl to the counter, covered it in saran wrap, and put it in the fridge for later.

…And that was when the phone rang, causing everyone but Hatori to jump in surprise. Hatori was clearly expecting a call because he didn't even offer the phone to Yuki before answering it.

"Hello?…Mmm-hmm…Yes, that should be fine for now, thank you Shigure…Yes, he's awake right now, do you want to talk to him?" Although he asked this last question in the same tone he'd had since he answered the phone, Hatori also looked very pointedly at Yuki to let Yuki know the question was for him as well. Yuki nodded hesitantly. "Very well. Here he is."

As Yuki accepted the receiver from Hatori he began to wonder why he'd agreed—he didn't know what to say to Shigure. It was too late to back out now though.

"Hello?" Yuki said into the phone.

A rather chipper sounding Shigure answered from the other end. "Yuki-kun! How've you been?"

"Alright." It was an automated response at this point. "How's…" Yuki began, but he wasn't able to say her name. Not yet.

Yuki knew Shigure knew who he meant and yet Shigure refused to stop being his obnoxious self. "Oh, Kyo's fine—a little grumpy, but that's nothing new." Yuki could barely hear Kyo yelling something about "bastards" and "dogs."

"I wasn't asking about the stupid cat." Yuki grumbled. But even as he said it Yuki's line of thought from earlier came floating back to him. Keenly aware of Hatori's presence next to him Yuki made a decision he wouldn't have otherwise:

"Put him on the phone."

x—o—x—o—x

Tohru was moping. _Again._ So when her friends—the creepy one and the yankee chick—came to take her out shopping, both Kyo and Shigure practically pushed her out the door.

…What Kyo hadn't counted on was putting up with Shigure talking to Ayame on the phone for the next hour and a half. Sure, he could've gone up to the roof, but…somehow he wasn't in the mood.

Damn Shigure was annoying. And just when Kyo thought he was finally done, Shigure started dialing someone else.

"_Now_ who are you calling!" Kyo questioned.

"Hatori—I want to check up on him and Yuki." Shigure answered.

"Hatori was just up there last week." Suddenly Kyo had one of those feelings… "What'd that damn rat do now?"

"Tried to kill himself. Oh, hello Hatori!"

"_HE __WHAT__!"_

"Hush Kyo, they can hear you in China. Hatori, I sent the boxes you asked for—they should get there by Friday."

"_Gimme the phone you—"_

"Mmm-hmm, is Yuki up?"

Kyo froze, his hands still reaching for the receiver over the counter Shigure'd put between them.

"Yes, I would please." Shigure said.

A pause.

…Had it been any longer Kyo would've strangled Shigure and just lifted the phone off his carcass.

"Yuki-kun! How've you been?" Shigure asked so cheerfully Kyo got the feeling he was going out of his way to be extra peppy. "Oh, Kyo's fine—"

"_He's asking! Gimme the phone you—" _Kyo jumped the counter and Shigure raced towards the hallway, all the while talking as though nothing was happening.

"—a little grumpy,"

"_Give me that phone you bastard!"_

"but that's nothing new." Shigure finished, dodging Kyo's kick and pushing him over the edge of the sofa while he was off balance.

"Friggin' dog!" Kyo growled, leaping to his feet, and chasing after Shigure.

Shigure danced backwards a few more steps and then, his eyebrows raised in surprise, he stopped and held the phone out to Kyo.

"What're you doing?" Kyo asked warily.

"He asked to speak to you." Shigure answered.

Kyo wasn't sure if he was so sure he _wanted_ to talk to Yuki all of a sudden. Since when did that damn rat _ask_ to speak to _him_?

Naturally Kyo handled the cordless receiver like a loaded bomb. " 'llo?" He said into it.

"Kyo." Sure enough, it was Yuki's voice on the other end. And then Kyo realized what Yuki's voice had said and he tensed. Since when did that damn rat call him by his name?

Had he ever?

There was a long, very awkward pause.

…Interrupted by Shigure. "So, what's he saying, what's he saying?"

"Shut up, you!" Kyo snapped at him.

"I haven't said anything yet, you stupid cat." Yuki retorted.

"I wasn't talking to you!" Kyo yelled. And suddenly he remembered why he'd been fighting to get the phone in the first place. "But while I am, WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!"

"What're you talking ab—"

"_I'm talking about you friggin' trying to off yourself! It's not bad enough you let me beat you, now you have to beat yourself, how pathetic is that you damn rat?"_ Kyo had no idea why he was so angry.

Why the idea of Yuki…of that damn rat trying to…

It bothered him.

Yuki'd always been so damned high and mighty. It pissed Kyo off to no end to think of his rival trying to take the coward's way out.

…nothing in common…

"You're one to talk." Yuki's voice was quiet, but just as loaded, if not more-so, than Kyo's…it was dangerous. "She loves you and you haven't done a thing about it."

All of Kyo's anger fizzed out like a fire dropped into liquid nitrogen.

Did Yuki just say…

"What?" Kyo asked dumbly.

"You heard me."

…what he _thought_ Yuki'd just said?

"Are you seriously so thick that you didn't notice it?" Yuki asked.

"Wh-What did you say?" Kyo asked again, pressing the phone to his ear harder, thinking he'd hear right that way. Shigure, mercifully, remained silent despite looking like he was dying to know what was going on.

"You heard me you stupid cat." Yuki's voice was quieter as he said it again—there was no mistaking those words, "She loves you. And if you don't do anything to let Tohru—" Kyo inhaled sharply, the full impact of what Yuki was saying hitting him at the sound of her name, "—know you care about her, then what was the point in beating me?"

There was a click.

Then a dial tone.

Kyo pulled the phone down from his ear to stare at it.

"So, so, so, what'd he say?" Shigure asked anxiously.

Kyo opened his mouth…then closed it. Opened his mouth…then closed it. Opened his mouth, then—

"Kyo, stop gaping like a fish and tell me what happened!"

"…That damn rat hung up on me." Kyo managed. It was easier to slip into the familiar habit of sassing Yuki than to think about…

…to think about…

Oh dammit.

"Kyo…" Shigure finally sounded concerned as he asked, "Are you alright? What did Yuki say to you?"

"He…" Kyo swallowed nervously. "…that Tohru…" No, no, no, he couldn't think about this here! "Oh, damn it all!" He shouted, tossing the phone in the air and storming outside. Ignoring Shigure calling his name, Kyo climbed up the ladder to the roof and sulked there.

It was hard to say what bothered him most at that moment.

The idea that Tohru might…

No, he'd thought that possibility was there before. He'd just never believed it. It also didn't matter that it had taken Yuki for him to start.

No, what bothered Kyo…

Was that why he'd finally beaten Yuki? Because Yuki loved Tohru and Tohru…

…What bothered Kyo was the fact that Yuki'd been able to tell his greatest rival to go for the girl they'd both fallen for.

It bothered him because it made Kyo feel like the loser.

o—x—o—x—o

Kyo wasn't the only one feeling lost and frustrated—Nakira paced the floor of her apartment bedroom with a fervency that could've stood a decent chance at matching Kyo's worst pacing speeds.

Why, why, how, how, WHY? Nothing she'd expected was coming to pass—Maibara had done nothing with the knowledge of Yuki's transformation and Yunari had not only refrained from being completely disgusted by Yuki, she'd started befriending him!

Hatori. There was no other explanation. Hatori must've gotten to them first. How, exactly, did Akito expect her to ruin Yuki's life beyond repair with that stupid starfish getting in the way!

…Seahorse.

Whatever.

The tell-tale chiming by her bedside told her someone was calling her cell phone.

"Probably just that stupid fan club." She muttered, before answering it, "Yes, Nakira speaking."

The voice on the other end froze the fake smile on her face. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"A-Akito-sama, I—"

"I told you to keep an eye on Yuki," Akito cut through her explanation's beginning as though his voice were a blade sharpened on subzero ice, "When did I say anything about exposing him?"

"Sir, I assumed—"

"NEVER!" Akito shouted, shocking her into silence. Nakira was fairly certain she'd never heard Akito yell. When he continued his voice was much quieter, almost faint, "…assume. You do…as _I_ say…and nothing more. Is that understood?"

"O-Of course Akito-sama, I-I don't know what I was thinking, I—"

"Shut up." Akito was chopping her sentences into pieces and each time he did she felt like he took a piece of her with him.

How had she failed him so completely? All she'd ever wanted was to please him, to gain his praise, he was a _god_, he was—

"You're done."

—done with her? "No, no, Akito-sama, please, I'll make this up to you, I—I think the rat nip is working, I just need more time!" Nakira was panting by the end of this sentence—expecting the knife of his voice was far worse than him actually cutting her. The anticipation cut her far deeper with no reward—at least when he stopped her sentences he acknowledged her; his silence overwhelmed her. "Please, Akito-sama." She begged. She knew how desperate she sounded. Desperate for his approval, clinging to his every word as though he could save her with them.

Save her from where she'd been before he'd come…

"You have one week." Akito spoke finally, granting her relief and needling her conscious. A week when she'd already failed him so badly? She didn't deserve it, she'd waste it, how he trusted her after all she'd done…

…He truly was a benevolent god.

"Thank you, sir." Nakira wept.

And Akito delivered one final stabbing blow, revealing even benevolent gods can be wrathful. This cut, by far, was the deepest and Nakira wept at the thought of it coming to pass for more than one reason. That he already expected her failure, that it might come true, that he might actually do as he said, and what, oh what, would he do to Nakira if he did?

Akito's last words before he ended the call, his parting blow:

"If things are still as they are now at the end of one week, I'm pulling you out. If things are still as they are in a week…

…I'm coming up there myself."

NEXT: SPIRAL

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	11. Spiral

_**Author's comments:**__** Long time, no see Abandoned fans! I have two chapters for you before I run out of material to post. Hopefully I'll have chapter nine up by sometime next week (earlier if we're lucky, later if we're not). After that I'm going to have to either materialize some more out of thin air or just put it on hiatus because I haven't worked on any of my fanfictions in forever. I'm working on real, grown-up stories-aren't you proud of me? **_

_**...All kidding aside, Fruits Basket does not belong to me and this chapter is rated M for references to suicide. Rate and comment as you please, but no flames-it has been several years since I wrote this and I didn't do a scrap of editting before posting. It is, as you say, hot off the press! Hope you enjoy! :)**_

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AYN EIGHT: SPIRAL

It was incredibly strange to feel incredibly light and immeasurably heavy at the same time. Somehow, though, Yuki pulled both off simultaneously when he hung up the phone on Kyo. He also couldn't manage to stop staring at his hands, even after Hatori wordlessly removed the phone from them.

Telling Kyo to get his ass in gear was a good thing, the cat needed a wake-up call. And since Yuki couldn't seem to hit Kyo physically anymore perhaps he had to punch the smug idiot's face in some other way. After all, Tohru loved Kyo, Kyo loved Tohru, and they needed to…

Needed to what? Hook up? He was playing matchmaker now?

Yuki was fairly sure he was going to be sick.

"Yuki-kun…um…" Maibara began, trailing off as if she didn't know what to say.

Good—he couldn't handle her right now, not when she looked so much like…

…Damn them. Damn all of them.

Who's sick idea of a joke was all this? As if Yuki couldn't guess, didn't know…

The phone rang again, and Yuki glared at the thing as though someone had bought a poisonous snake into the room and was trying to feed it to him.

"Hello?" Hatori asked, answering the phone again. A short pause and then, "Ayame." Yuki tensed—he really needed to stop thinking in metaphors. "Is Yuki up?" Hatori questioned, turning to look at the subject of said question.

Yuki gave him a pointed glare. Like he could deal with his obnoxiously flamboyant brother right now.

…Like he could _ever_ deal with that crazy brother of his.

"No he's asleep." Hatori answered mercifully, "Can I take a message?" Another pause. "I'll be sure he gets it." Hatori hung up the phone and did so: "He's coming to visit you this weekend."

Yuki groaned and buried his face in the bed sheets in front of him.

Sure, why not, let's make things even _more_ complicated!

"Is that bad?" Maibara asked.

"His brother can be a bit extreme at times. He's perfectly harmless." Hatori explained, adding his dishes to the pile she was washing.

Harmless? Right.

Harmless as a fighting bull in a store full of china.

…Wasn't that a saying?

Yes—Yes, it was.

First I tell my rival to go for the girl I love, then I start thinking in old sayings? Yuki wondered.

I must be losing my mind.

x—o—x—o—x

Kyo was fairly certain if that damn yankee and the psycho goth didn't bring Tohru home soon he was going to start losing it.

If he wasn't already.

_Damn_ that rat, why'd he have to go and throw a monkey wrench into things? Kyo was doing just fine until that damn rat'd—

…Had he? Had he been doing just "fine?"

He'd been way too irritable lately—the fist-hole-in-the-wall count had increased tenfold so _something_ had been bothering him lately. Had to have been. Yeah.

Who was he kidding? Kyo always had _something_ that was bothering him. Part of his very nature was to be…bothered.

His thoughts were making _no_ sense. Maybe because he was avoiding the main issue? The words Yuki'd uttered that still screamed at him from the back of his mind? That Tohru…

"Shit!" Kyo cursed, jumping to his feet as a familiar-looking motorbike pulled up Shigure's driveway. Tohru's yankee friend had bought the thing a couple months ago and promptly named it "The Beast," upping her tough girl image by several hundred notches. All she needed now was a leather jacket with fringes and a mean-spirited slogan on the back and the image would be complete.

…Where is this shit coming from, anyway? Kyo wondered as Tohru staggered down off The Beast, still looking a bit motor-sick. Sea-sick, motor-sick? Ha-ha—

Seriously, where?

Kyo was so nervous he almost walked right off the roof.

You know, without a ladder.

"Goddammit, what is wrong with you?" Kyo asked himself under his breath, "Pull it together!"

…And now he was talking to himself. Perfect.

He approached Tohru and met her in front of the door just as that crazy yankee pulled away on her motorized…thing. Now that Tohru was back Kyo felt how easy it would be to just forget it all and go on just…just…

…Well, he thought he could "just," but then she spoke.

"Hi Kyo." She greeted.

And Yuki's words came clattering down on him as though he'd built giant letters spelling them to drop on his head in this exact moment.

_"She loves you and you haven't done a thing about it."_

"I-I-I—"Kyo spluttered.

"What's wrong?" Tohru asked, immediately concerned.

_"She loves you and you—"_

"I'M WORKING ON IT DAMMIT!" Kyo shouted loud enough to hopefully scare the letter-dropper away, and the dead besides.

"W-W-Working on what?" Tohru stammered, startled by his sudden outburst.

_"You'd think she'd be used to those by now." _Yuki's voice seemed to echo in Kyo's head.

"Just what I need." Kyo muttered, "A rat in my head."

"Huh?" Tohru looked completely clueless, which was also nothing new.

_"Are you just going to stand there doing nothing you stupid cat or are you going to say something to her?" _The voice that sounded like Yuki taunted.

…It was just as annoying as having the real thing standing next to him.

Possibly more so—at least Kyo could punch the real one.

"Yuki erhm…I spoke to the damn rat today." Kyo said finally.

"Sohma-kun? How is he?"

"Ohhh….I really don't wanna talk about it." Kyo growled.

"Why? What happened? Is he okay?" Tohru put a hand around Kyo's arm as though she subconsciously expected him to run before answering him. She needn't have bothered—those large blue eyes on the verge of tears had the words spilling out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"He tried to kill himself."

She didn't really need to hear that, why had he said that, what kind of moron—

—Aaand there came the tears.

"Wh-What…? He tried to…"

"No, I mean, he's okay, he just—"

"Why?" Tohru asked.

"He's depressed? How the hell should I know, I've never—"

"But why? Why would he be that sad, why would he—"

"Well, of course he's depressed, he loves you!" Kyo snapped.

…Dammit. Why was none of this coming out right?

"Y-Yuki does?" Tohru's eyes looked vaguely akin to a deer's. One standing in front of a motorbike.

Kyo really didn't want to think about her that way. "No, I didn't mean, I, arrg—! Look, he did, he does, what the hell do I know he could love Kagura for all I—"

Now there was a creepy thought.

"Kyo, I…what are you, are you o—"

"No, I'm not okay, okay!? That damn rat calls me from Iceland or wherever the hell he is now and tells me you love me and hangs up on me and—"

Tohru's face turned beet red and she covered her mouth, "Sohma-kun said that!?"

"Yeah, but it's not true I mean why the hell would it be, he's a rat, they don't ever tell lies!" Kyo was fairly sure there was some horrendous contradiction in there somewhere, "And it's not like I love you too so—" Kyo's rant stopped mid-sentence when Tohru pressed her lips to his.

The next thing Kyo heard was Tohru shouting, "I'm sorry!" The next thing he saw was Tohru running inside, her face redder than a fire engine.

She left a little orange cat standing statuesque on the front porch looking incredibly confused and wondering what had just happened.

And in the back of his mind the cat heard Yuki's voice tell him, _"Now that's doing something about it. Congratulations you stupid cat."_ And Kyo did what he always did:

He told the damn rat to shut the hell up.

x—o—x—o—x

A few hours before Kyo was spluttering love confessions to Tohru, Tohru sat on the floor of Hana's room, picking at the carpet distractedly. Her friends were trying to cheer her up and she knew she should be listening to what Uo was telling her, but she just couldn't. She couldn't get Sohma-kun's face out of her mind, couldn't stop seeing the horror on his face when he'd seen her standing in the nurse's office a week ago, couldn't take back the awful thing she'd done to him by going there…

"Tohru? Hey Tohru, I'm talking to you." Uo grabbed Tohru by the shoulder and turned her to face her two friends. "What's a matter with you? You've been extra quiet for days."

"She's troubled because she upset someone she meant to make feel better. Is that right Tohru?" Hana asked.

"Y-Yeah…" Tohru stared back at the rug. "I think I made a bad situation a lot worse." She admitted, "I just thought…I could help. I always could before…"

"Lemme guess: You went and visited Yuki?" Uo questioned. Tohru nodded glumly. "Did you take that carrot-headed punk with you?" Another nod. "Well geez, Tohru, no wonder it made things worse! Those two fight worse than cats and dogs!"

Tohru winced inwardly—"cats and dogs" wasn't too far from the truth.

"I don't think it was that." Hana interrupted, "Both of them have been…unstable in their own way. The balance shifted, I think, sometime in April—" Tohru stiffened: April was when Kyo had defeated Yuki, "—and ever since then they've been more unstable than usual. I think a lot of that has to do with how they feel about you, Tohru."

"M-Me?"

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed!" Uo laughed, "Those two have been tripping over themselves for ages over you!"

Tohru wasn't sure what to say to that. It wasn't that she hadn't known Sohma-kun and Kyo cared about her, it's just that she didn't want to hurt either of them and there's nothing impartial about love so she'd tried so hard to be impartial, tried so hard, and yet…

…And yet Tohru had no more control over her love than Kyo had over his anger.

"…I think she does know Uo." Hana said softly, de-railing Tohru's train of thought. "I think she's been avoiding thinking about it because she didn't want to hurt either of them, especially after she realized she did have stronger feelings for one than the other."

"Seriously?! Since when? Tohru, which—"

"No." Tohru's voice was quiet at first, but grew louder with each word, "No, I won't do that to either of them! I won't hurt them like—"

"Tohru," Hana said, "You already have."

The tears that had threatened all evening began to fall and her friends pulled her over, held her close.

"Oh Tohru…" and "There, there." She heard them whisper. It didn't make it any better.

She'd already known. Knew from the moment she'd seen Sohma-kun's stricken face in the nurse's room miles away from here that he knew what she'd decided without choosing to. Had known for months, ever since…

Since April.

Oh God, was it all her fault, then? All her fault Yuki'd lost, all her fault he'd been sent away, all her fault that he'd—just because she…

…Because she…loved Kyo?

It hurt even to think it. How could she have done this to Sohma-kun? How could she not love Kyo? How could she—what could she…

What was she supposed to do?

x—o—x—o—x

As Tohru staggered down onto Shigure's front lawn from Uo's massive bike she took a deep breath.

"Take her easy, okay?" Uo asked, clearly concerned. Tohru nodded. "See you tomorrow." She said, and rode off.

Another deep breath. Another shaky deep breath. Another. One more.

Okay.

It didn't surprise Tohru to see Kyo walking up to her. She met him by the porch and they stood there, awkwardly.

"Hi Kyo." She said finally.

Kyo's gaze lowered and he looked as though he was struggling to lift a set of anvils with his shoulders—something was up. "I-I-I—"

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I'M WORKING ON IT DAMMIT!" he shouted. Tohru jumped, startled by his sudden outburst. Was it something he'd done, something Shigure'd done?

…Something she'd done?

"W-W-Working on what?" she stammered.

Kyo just muttered something under his breath, not answering her.

How can I help him if I don't know what's wrong? She wondered while another part of her asked, 'You mean like how you helped Sohma-kun?' and her mouth only managed a "Huh?"

Kyo was silent a moment longer, still focused on some inner struggle. He must've won because he finally answered her. "Yuki ehrm…I spoke to the damn rat today."

Something was wrong—Kyo never called Sohma-kun by name. "Sohma-kun? How is he?" she asked, trying not to let the panic she felt seep into her voice.

Kyo just growled. "Ohhh…I really don't wanna talk about it."

Oh no. No, no, no, please don't tell me he—"Why? What happened? Is he okay?"

This time after Kyo spoke Tohru swore she felt her heart stop. "He tried to kill himself."

Every time Tohru thought she couldn't cry any more tears she managed to prove herself wrong. "Wh-what…? He tried to…"

"No, I mean, he's okay, he just—"

"Why?" but even as the word left her lips she knew the answer. Of course Sohma-kun had tried to…why wouldn't he try to when she…

"He's depressed?" Kyo asked rhetorically, "How the hell should I know, I've never—"

And just as Kyo said this Tohru heard the lie behind it, knew Kyo had tried to do such an awful thing to himself and when she asked, "But why? Why would he be that sad, why would he—" she wasn't sure if it was still Sohma-kun she was talking about, even though Kyo still was.

"Well, of course he's depressed, he loves you!"

…why wouldn't he try to when she… "Y-Yuki does?" She was lying to herself, lying so she wouldn't have to face this, lying because, because…

I don't want this to be my fault. Not for either of them.

Kyo was beyond flustered at this point, "No, I didn't mean, I, arrg—! Look, he did, he does, what the hell do I know he could love Kagura for all I—" Kyo paused, this thought just too weird for him to continue.

"Kyo I…" whatever Tohru wanted to say… "What are you," …she just couldn't get out, "are you o—" Before she could ask "okay?" Which wasn't what she wanted to ask anyway, Kyo interrupted, fuming.

"No, I'm not okay, okay!? That damn rat calls me from Iceland or wherever the hell he is now and tells me you love me and hangs up on me and—"

"Sohma-kun said that!?" Shock, amazement, confusion, relief. He knows, he cares, but he's okay with it?

Why else would he tell Kyo?

"Yeah, but it's not true I mean why the hell would it be, he's a rat, they don't ever tell lies!" Kyo ranted.

He wants it to be true, he wants me to love him and Sohma-kun wants me to love Kyo, and I have hurt both of them by not being honest and if I keep this up I'll hurt all of us and—

"And it's not like I love you too so—"

She kissed him. Kissed him for Sohma-kun, kissed Kyo for himself…

Kissed him for herself.

And when she pulled away she apologized—she needed time to think, to sort out how she was feeling…

…to forgive herself?

She ran inside.

NEXT: WAKEUP

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